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Friday, March 29, 2024

UF Health to open new medical services at Oaks Mall

<p>Image of the UF Health Oaks Mall location. UF Health opened its newest addition in Bradford County on May 1, one day after the previous owners closed the medical center.</p><p><span> </span></p>

Image of the UF Health Oaks Mall location. UF Health opened its newest addition in Bradford County on May 1, one day after the previous owners closed the medical center.

 

Gainesville residents will soon be able to check up on their health and fulfill their retail needs in just one trip. 

UF Health will open three specialty medical practices at The Oaks Mall starting Tuesday. What was formerly a Sears department store will soon be home to ear, nose, throat, allergy and hearing services. 

The grand opening for the new location will be held Jan. 25. However, the eye care clinic will open for patients Tuesday, and the ENT and audiology clinics will open Feb. 3, said Rossana Passaniti, media relations coordinator for UF Health. 

With 87 exam rooms and 15 procedure rooms, Passaniti said this new location was built to accommodate more patients. She expects it will service between 1,500 and 2,000 patients per week. 

“We’re also going to have a few stores,” Passaniti said. “One where people can shop for eyeglasses and contact lenses and then the other store where they can shop for hearing aids.”

Marvin Dewar, senior associate dean at the UF College of Medicine, said he spent about five years searching for the right space for the medical center. It needed to have parking, a central location and close proximity to UF’s main campus so doctors could travel back and forth.

“The Oaks Mall checked all of the boxes,” Dewar said. “That’s when the project really began in earnest.”

Dewar said the Oaks Mall location is unique because other retail stores will still be present in the shopping center. With other retailers close by, patients will have the opportunity to browse shops in the mall if they have any wait time. 

“I think it will add to patient satisfaction and to the patient experience,” Dewar said.

Guests are invited to come out and tour the new space during the center’s grand opening, Dewar said. Albert, Alberta and the UF Dazzlers will also be at the event from noon to 1 p.m. 

Although the new location may seem unconventional, Dewar said he thinks it will catch the attention of others in the country who have the same space available. 

“There are a few places in the country that have used malls this way,” Dewar said. “We are certainly early on that trend.”

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Contact Sarah Mandile at smandile@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @sarahmandile.

Image of the UF Health Oaks Mall location. UF Health opened its newest addition in Bradford County on May 1, one day after the previous owners closed the medical center.

 

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