Treating you well since 1948 
Published in: The Winter Haven Sun, Feeling Fit, July 21, 2017
By: Tara Crutchfield
For decades, Bond Clinic has been a leader in the healthcare field for Polk county. Through exceptional care and a love for what they do, Bond has seen increased patient volume and hired more physicians, causing them to outgrow their current offices. Now, Bond will be expanding in Downtown Winter Haven, with their newest building under construction and plans to open its doors November of this year.
This new addition to the clinic is positioned to provide current Bond Clinic patients and future patients with care, targeting their needs. The first floor will house Bond’s Urgent Care and separately, their pediatric department complete with a pediatric Urgent Care. Physician’s offices will be located on the 2nd floor and the Oncology department on the 3rd.
A building project of this size and the employment opportunities and patient care that go along with it, is going to mean big things for Winter Haven. Thoracic and Vascular Surgeon, Dr. Panagiotis Iakovidis, Bond Clinic’s president and CEO, sees this expansion for Bond not only as a positive growth for them and their patients, but for the community saying, “Having more physicians in the area, more employees in the area, will only bring a positive economic impact to Winter Haven.” He continued, “By adding new physicians and new services, we’ll employ more individuals that will serve the healthcare needs of the community.”
According to Dr. Iakovidis, Bond Clinic has seen about a 10% increase in patients, incrementally, over the last 2 years. That number is expected to increase further, with the clinic coming in at just the perfect time to fulfil that need. Dr. Iakovidis expects Bond to see 5-10% more patients upon completion of the new campus.
As for the medical staff, Bond intends to hire at least 5 new physicians and 3-5 nurse practitioners. Long-term, they would like to increase that number to 15-20 new physicians and nurse practitioners.
Bond’s Marketing Director Ashley Scanlan had this to say on the choice to open their newest campus in downtown Winter Haven, “I think it was very intentional just to let people know Winter Haven is very important to us, it’s where we started, we have a vested interest here and we want people to feel that.”
The positive economic and community impact isn’t the only focus for Bond, though. The Urgent Care will have a large part in the future for this campus and Bond’s patients.
Dr. Iakovidis shed some light on the need for an Urgent Care for the residents of Polk county, “The Urgent Clinic is a part of Bond Clinic that will play a major role in delivering the care that we want to deliver. It provides the access to our patients as well as provides a step before the patient needs to go to the emergency room, and that’s something we did not have before.”
The building marks a first for Bond Clinic, Ashley Scanlan explains, “With the addition of this campus, it’s very exciting to be in the heart of downtown. This is the first building that we will be occupying the whole space.”
Not wasting any resources or space, every inch of the new clinic has had the patient in mind when building and furnishing it. Patients can expect the level of excellent care that Bond has always provided along with upgrades and additions made with intent.
Mrs. Scanlan went into detail about some of the features that patients can expect including clear direction of where they need to go, more spacious exam rooms so patients can have their families comfortably by their side, and infusing stations for patients with dehydration.
The pediatric department will make the visit easier for parents and children with a sick room, a shots station, and even a contagious room. Staying on the cusp of technology not only with their medical equipment, Bond will have televisions and charging stations for phones and electronics.
The aesthetic and overall comfort were also chosen purposefully. The rendering of the new construction reveals that the architecture of the building is reminiscent of downtown Winter Haven’s classic style, with a modern, industrial finish. The colors throughout the clinic will be, “very Florida and calming” according to Mrs. Scanlan. Even the furniture was given the utmost attention to detail, assuring a comfortable visit or stay for their patients.
The building itself will be a wonderful addition to downtown, but the opportunity for care it will provide is even better. Dr. Iakovidis put it simply, “From the efficiency standpoint, how the patient is being evaluated, cared for, and being discharged is going to change significantly toward the better.”
He explained further, “Over the last 3 years, we have changed the way we practice medicine. The quality using the CMS measures is definitely a way for us to improve the health care we provide to the people. At the same time, we increase access. We increase access to primary care physicians, we increase access to our specialists, and as well as with our Urgent Care.”
Ashley Scanlan related the changes she’s seen through the years she’s worked at Bond, “In the last six years, we’ve hired dozens of doctors, we’ve added several new specialties, we’ve added campuses, we’ve added services. This week we’re adding a new eye-screening center into our clinic. We don’t have the thought process of “we want to be big, we want to have everything. But that we want to really get to the heart of what our patients need, what our community needs, and begin to add those.”
That statement is a perfect synopsis of the time, thought, care, and resources that have been put into this new iconic Bond Clinic campus. It is an investment in the community and a commitment that Bond will continue to stay on the forefront of healthcare and patient accommodation.
Mrs. Scanlan had a final thought to add in light of the upcoming transition, “For our current Bond Clinic patients, I just want to assure that that they will be notified in plenty of time if any of their doctors are going to this new location, we will make sure they will know exactly how to get there and it will be seamless for them.”
