After 27 years spread out in five suites inside a medical center, Comprehensive Women’s Health will build its own 24,000-square-foot facility to keep up with increased demand.
Currently, the private practice offers gynecologic, obstetric and midwife services in the Women’s Center of the North Florida Regional Medical Center, said Janet Davies, a practice administrator.
On Friday afternoon, the practice held a groundbreaking ceremony for two buildings, located at 724 NW 43rd St. One building will hold 24 rooms for exams and offices, and the second will be home to a birth center.
“We are currently housed on the fifth floor of the Women’s Center at North Florida Regional Medical Center,” Davies said. “We are separated into five different suites, and we are out of space to expand our services.”
The practice will foot the $11 million estimated cost for the project, according to Dr. Eduardo Marichal, an OB-GYN doctor and managing partner at the practice. The buildings are expected to be completed by November.
“To provide more services to the community, we have to expand,” he said.
The buildings will allow the center’s doctors and staff to work side-by-side instead of working in different suites in the hospital, Davies said. It will also include a community classroom, where classes and seminars on topics such as pregnancy yoga, acupuncture and massages will be offered.
At the groundbreaking ceremony, Paul Richardson, who lives in Gainesville, said he was happy to see women’s health services offered close by for his fiancée to take advantage of.
“I’m excited that you’re going to have midwife accessibility right next door,” the 29-year-old said. “They have a really good reputation – they’re very well-known.”
Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that the OB-GYN doctor and managing partner at the practice is Dr. Eduardo Marichal, not Marichals.
Pictured is a rendering of the new Comprehensive Women's Health facility. Their new building and birth center is scheduled to open November 2018 on Northwest 43rd Street.