[NYBob]

Originally Posted by Bitsee

Wow...your proposed agenda is making my head hurt .

Enjoy !

Yep, mine too !!

Thank you, we'll try to make the best of it. I find the hardest thing about this is The Villages is quite fluid and quickly changing. It's hard to keep up with things there. Though I find TOTV to be very helpful.

[margaretmattson]

Originally Posted by NYBob

We'll be heading to TV this coming week and spending a few days in a hotel to look things over. Just wanted to ask for suggestions as to what we should do to make the best of our time there. We'll be making stops at hospitals, doctors offices to discuss availability to new patients and acceptance of insurance. Visiting Assisted Living Facilities for elderly family members. Viewing various villages of interest, and the distance to and from stores, amenities, medical. The general layout as far as roads, traffic, construction. Speaking to villagers about likes and concerns. Hitting the outer areas, if time allows. Grabbing pamphlets, maps, info. Checking out the Squares, and basically trying to take in as much as possible.

We'll only be there for three days, as we regretted in the past booking longer stays in areas we left after spending a day or so and realizing it was not at all what we had expected. Of course if all checks out, our next visit will be longer.

What would you suggest a must see on a first visit ? And is there a 'Welcome Center' of sorts were we can inquire and find all or most necessary info in one place. We'll be there from Mon - Thurs.

One last thing, we watched a UTube video ( I believe it was by 'Gold Wingnut' though I could be wrong) whereas he mentioned a second hospital that was in the works. This video was about two years old, more or less. What has happened to this ? Was it scrapped ? Delayed ? This is a sticking point for us, as we have read/heard there is a distinct lack of medical care in the area. If anyone could elaborate on this we would appreciate it, as this is our primary concern.

If medical is a concern, there are several options in the northern section of the villages. The Villages hospital and VA are in that area. In Ocala, you have several options and the hospitals have good ratings. Gainesville also has a great hospital. MANY MORE options are available if you check out that area.

Note: not all the homes there are 20 plus years old. The northernmost end have homes built between 2016-2019. There is a beautiful new rec center and the area is a hop skip and jump away from many good restaurants and stores.

[NYBob]

Originally Posted by Bilyclub

The new hospital way down South is on hold officially and probably dead. They realized they cannot staff it. The other hospital behind the ER on 466A at Trailwinds is still on the table.

A 60-bed hospital is coming to Wildwood and will be built near Trailwinds Village on County Road 466A.
HCA Healthcare, Inc. has announced plans to build three new acute care hospitals in Florida to help meet the state’s growing need for healthcare services.

HCA Acute Care Hospital

Thank you for that very informative post. Please correct me if I'm wrong, it seems the planned hospital behind the ER, and the 60 bed near Trailwinds Village are in the same area. I'd think then that if the 60 bed is to be built it would kill off the one behind the ER ? Is that most likely scenario ?

[NYBob]

Originally Posted by margaretmattson

If medical is a concern, there are several options in the northern section of the villages. The Villages hospital and VA are in that area. In Ocala, you have several options and the hospitals have good ratings. Gainesville also has a great hospital. MANY MORE options are available if you check out that area.

Note: not all the homes there are 20 plus years old. The northernmost end have homes built between 2016-2019. There is a beautiful new rec center and the area is a hop skip and jump away from many good restaurants and stores.

Yes, thank you. We will definitely be looking in the northern section as well. However The Villages Hospital is of concern to us as we have read/heard many negative comments as to the quality of care there. We've heard a few positive comments as well though. We're trying to figure this all out.
As far as the others are concerned, as I wrote earlier in the case of a critical life threatening situation you will be brought to the closest 911 receiving hospital. The other hospitals will not come into play. Distance is not a problem until it is I suppose.

[Altavia]

Originally Posted by NYBob

Yes, thank you. We will definitely be looking in the northern section as well. However The Villages Hospital is of concern to us as we have read/heard many negative comments as to the quality of care there. We've heard a few positive comments as well though. We're trying to figure this all out.
As far as the others are concerned, as I wrote earlier in the case of a critical life threatening situation you will be brought to the closest 911 receiving hospital. The other hospitals will not come into play. Distance is not a problem until it is I suppose.

Locally there are multiple free standing emergency centers that receive high reviews from patients. Once stable and if needed, they transport to a hospital.

Villages Emergency Service stations are distributed for rapid response ( less than 6 min?)

Villages residents are four times more likely than other Americans to survive a cardiac event. This is due to a number of factors including the amount of AED's available throughout the community, the proximity of fire department to resident's homes, and more.

[margaretmattson]

Originally Posted by NYBob

Yes, thank you. We will definitely be looking in the northern section as well. However The Villages Hospital is of concern to us as we have read/heard many negative comments as to the quality of care there. We've heard a few positive comments as well though. We're trying to figure this all out.
As far as the others are concerned, as I wrote earlier in the case of a critical life threatening situation you will be brought to the closest 911 receiving hospital. The other hospitals will not come into play. Distance is not a problem until it is I suppose.

Again, in the Northern section there are many options. If you must call 911, you can direct the ambulance to go to the hospital or emergency center of your choice. Each are minutes away. You will not have to go to the 1-star rated Villages and Leesburg hospitals if that is a concern.

[Velvet]

OP, The Villages is not a place you come to for medical care. It is TV’s Achilles’ heel. My uncle moved here in 1992. There were poor medical facilities then and there are poor medical facilities now (in TV). He loved it anyways and died here. His wife looked after him, then she went into independent care herself. This is a place you come to for activities. When you are past that stage most people sell their house and go home to family or to long term care. There is no public transportation even. This place is not your typical city.

[smurphy]

Originally Posted by NYBob

Thank you for that very informative post. Please correct me if I'm wrong, it seems the planned hospital behind the ER, and the 60 bed near Trailwinds Village are in the same area. I'd think then that if the 60 bed is to be built it would kill off the one behind the ER ? Is that most likely scenario ?

The free standing ER on 466a is in the Trailwinds Village shopping development, which is in the city of Wildwood and adjacent to villages houses and a gold course. I think the sites you are mentioning are one in the same. (Double counting). I am not sure if it is still in the works, I haven't seen any discussion or building permits in the newspaper, but I can tell you it has not progressed beyond the drawing board stage. I drive past the site daily and the lawn has not even been mowed.

[msilagy]

Very important - consider serious health issues to be addressed at Shands Univ of Fl, Gainesville, or Mayo in Jacksonville. Nobody moves here for health care. It's sub par and many mistakes are made. Don't waste your time in a Dr's office because that's what it will be, a waste of time. After you move here then you can determine your healthcare options. Other than that finding where you would like to live is your main goal and what type of home. Good luck!

[bowlingal]

You can't possibly do all that in 3 days. You should take time and prepare to visit at least a month, probably longer. This is a HUGE place, 50 square miles, covering 3 counties.

[rsmurano]

My opinion: skip the medical end of it. If you don’t have the dreaded ‘Medicare advantage’ medical plan, then you can’t go to the Villages healthcare provider which is a good thing. If you have a ‘Medicare supplement’ plan (the best option) then you have hundreds of drs to see. You can search this site for dr recommendations.

As for area to look at for moving too, I would never suggest moving to an area where all the shopping is, I would suggest just the opposite. If you go to Target everyday, then maybe move to a congested area. We moved the furthest from the major shopping areas. There are restaurants all over TV and more coming.

You should look at areas where you are going to play or spend most of your time doing. If you like tennis on clay courts, then there is only 1 place that has this. If you are going to join the archery club, there are 2 places that have these archery functions. Same goes for the other 3000 clubs around TV. Before moving here, I spent time calling club presidents on what there clubs do, where they hold their functions/classes, and if there is room for new residents. We came down here multiple times to jump into games of tennis and pickleball to get a feel where we might play in our level of play. Same goes for golf, you can live anywhere if you play executive courses, but championship courses are more up north until the courses in Eastport are built.

Do you want a new home or an older 1? They are only building new homes in the south. If you want a pre-owned home, you will find better deals north of 466 because those are the oldest and this is where the congested shopping areas are.

1 more thing to consider: average age groups. The older people are more north of 466 whereas the younger people are south of 44.

A lot of friends rent for weeks/months and up to a year before they buy so they can determine which area is best for them. Or you can be like most villagers, move an average of 2.5 times within the villages to go to an area you find out that you like better. I have friends that have moved up to 7 times within TV.

[RobinM]

Two years ago my husband and I were looking to relocate to Florida for several reasons. Our primary focus was on the Sarasota/Bradenton area as we were familiar with it because we’d been visiting relatives there for years. Not finding exactly what we wanted we decided on a quick (2 night) stop in The Villages. We knew what kind of house and neighborhood we liked. It was a whirlwind but we found what to us was the perfect home in the perfect neighborhood. Two years later we still think that way. It was a lot of work to find the doctors we wanted but that work paid off. Between the two of us we’ve been in The Villages Hospital ER three times, once leading to admission, and have been quite pleased with our care. Is it perfect and top notch? No. But it’s just right.

Originally Posted by NYBob

We'll be heading to TV this coming week and spending a few days in a hotel to look things over. Just wanted to ask for suggestions as to what we should do to make the best of our time there. We'll be making stops at hospitals, doctors offices to discuss availability to new patients and acceptance of insurance. Visiting Assisted Living Facilities for elderly family members. Viewing various villages of interest, and the distance to and from stores, amenities, medical. The general layout as far as roads, traffic, construction. Speaking to villagers about likes and concerns. Hitting the outer areas, if time allows. Grabbing pamphlets, maps, info. Checking out the Squares, and basically trying to take in as much as possible.

We'll only be there for three days, as we regretted in the past booking longer stays in areas we left after spending a day or so and realizing it was not at all what we had expected. Of course if all checks out, our next visit will be longer.

What would you suggest a must see on a first visit ? And is there a 'Welcome Center' of sorts were we can inquire and find all or most necessary info in one place. We'll be there from Mon - Thurs.

One last thing, we watched a UTube video ( I believe it was by 'Gold Wingnut' though I could be wrong) whereas he mentioned a second hospital that was in the works. This video was about two years old, more or less. What has happened to this ? Was it scrapped ? Delayed ? This is a sticking point for us, as we have read/heard there is a distinct lack of medical care in the area. If anyone could elaborate on this we would appreciate it, as this is our primary concern.

Originally Posted by NYBob

Thanks guys. Yes, I understand that I'll need much more time, however we booked longer stays in areas we had no interest in once we arrived. So we decided to play it safe, book a short stay and from there decide if there will be another. If so, we'll probably rent for an extended period of time. With so much to take in I would think there will probably be a few long stays.

As far as hospitals being 15+ mins away, our concern would be in the case of a critical life threatening situation whereas one would be brought to the closest 911 receiving facility. And hospitals further away would not come into play.

The Village hospital uses a chopper to move critical emergencies to Shands (Gainesville), Ocala or Leesburg.

As a cardiac patent, I asked the Cath Lab about critical heart emergency procedures, say cath lab gone bad (I am 2 for 2 on that kind of nightmare, prior to moving to T V) and was told CHOPPER out for surgery like that as they do not perform open heart emergency surgeries at Lady Lake Villages Hospital. Their Cath Lab performs heart procedures at T V Hospital such as ie: putting in stents. I was surprised to hear that but choppers move pretty fast and Ocala is only mins away via chopper.

There are a lot of urgent care facilities in and near T V that move people via ambulance to Ocala as well (my mother was moved to Ocala on a non-life threatening heart issue. Via ambulance driving without lights took 40 min). I believe the 466A Urgent Care also has a chopper but not 100% sure on that.

Three days will not be enough time to do your list. Trolley tours would help cover the town squares and they have a nursing home trolley tour. Riding in your own car lets you see just how big T V is and how many roundabouts there are. You would need to return in the summer to see that the driving gets much better when the snowbirds leave (only some will agree with that statement but it is true).

[crash]

Originally Posted by NYBob

Thanks Al2014. Are you referring to the UF Health Freestanding ER on 44 ?
I just watched Gold Wingnut's video again and he said that there are two hospitals in the works (?). One would be built on the lot behind the Freestanding ER and the other is planned to be south of 44 near Dabney. Any other info on this would be appreciated.


I found the video btw though I'm not able to link to it here for some reason. So I'll leave the title of the video and time stamp.

Construction Update #135 Following the Dream - Central Parkway Growing 1/22/24
The information on the hospitals starts at around 4:30 mins.

The hospital south of 44 project was cancelled due to the difficulty of getting enough doctors.

[Papa_lecki]

Originally Posted by crash

The hospital south of 44 project was cancelled due to the difficulty of getting enough doctors.

I don’t know if that’s the reason.
Moving the hospital from Sumter County to Lake County slowed it down
The federal approvals slowed it down

Some of the most profitable hospitals are in Florida, you can get doctors to go anywhere with the right comp package.