Building site preparation to begin for orthopaedics/sports medicine institute

The study and treatment of bone and muscle diseases will be enhanced by a $23 million Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine Institute to be built by the University of Florida College of Medicine.

The medical school’s department of orthopaedics and rehabilitation has selected the design-build firm of Turner Construction Co./URS Corp. to build the four-story facility at the northwest corner of the intersection of 34th Street and Hull Road, adjacent to the University of Florida Hotel and Conference Center.

UF officials signed a contract with the company in mid-July of 2002, said A. Miles Albertson, associate director of facilities planning and construction for the UF Health Science Center. Site preparation is expected to begin this month (January) with building completion anticipated in March 2004.

The 118,000-square-foot facility will contain treatment facilities, classrooms, administrative space and research laboratories. It will bring together all of the department’s outpatient services and faculty practices, which now are housed in different locations.

“It will be much easier and more efficient for our patients to receive a full spectrum of care and services under one roof,” said Peter Gearen, M.D., interim chairman of the department. “We are also looking forward to having our team of physicians, nurses, therapists, patient representatives and support personnel all in close daily contact. We expect to be able to improve both our quality and productivity as a result.”

The new facility will improve patient access to state-of-the-art technology, Gearen said. A new radiologic imaging center will feature X-ray machines and MRI and CT scanners to be used in the diagnosis and study of patients’ conditions. Certain procedures and physical and occupational therapy also will be offered.

“A rehabilitation unit and motion analysis laboratory will enable us to cement our relationship with Shands HealthCare’s occupational and physical therapy services,” Gearen said. “Sharing resources will help us enhance our services dramatically.”

The dream of a new home for the department began 10 years ago, Gearen said, with formal planning beginning three years ago. The building’s design is the result of a collaborative process involving input from clinical and nonclinical person.