Pasco County community's newest amenity: A registered nurse

For residents of one fast-growing Pasco County community, the newest neighborhood amenity isn’t a swimming pool or pickleball court but a registered nurse.

Tampa-based Metro Development Group and BayCare Health System are launching a health care navigator program at Angeline, the organizations announced Tuesday, embedding a nurse in the Land O’ Lakes master-planned community to help residents schedule appointments, identify appropriate care and connect with preventive health services.

The nurse will maintain regular hours inside Angeline and be available by phone, email and online chat, according to the announcement. BayCare also plans to send a mobile health unit to the community for vaccinations, blood pressure checks, glucose testing and other screenings.

It’s a service that extends beyond traditional neighborhood amenities, officials say. 

“Health and wellness are central to the way we design our communities, and that includes making access to quality care more convenient for our residents,” Lisa Gibbings, Metro’s vice president of marketing and communications, says in the release.

The companies did not disclose the program’s cost, when the nurse will begin working in the community or how frequently the nurse and mobile health unit will be on site. 

The nurse isn’t meant to replace a resident’s doctor or provide emergency care, the release says. Instead, the “navigator” is intended to serve as a first point of contact for health questions, help residents decide what level of care they may need and guide them through BayCare’s network of doctors, hospitals, urgent care centers and other services.

The nurse will also reach out to residents about preventive screenings, wellness programs and other health resources.

The program gives BayCare a direct connection to potential patients in one of Pasco County’s largest residential developments. BayCare operates 16 hospitals across West Central Florida, including BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel, which opened in 2023.

Angeline is a roughly 6,200-acre development in northern Land O’ Lakes, near State Road 52 and the Suncoast Parkway. The community is expected to have about 35,000 residents when fully developed.