FLEMING ISLAND, Fla. – The new Nemours Children's Clinic in Fleming Island is open for patients.
Both Nemours Children's Clinic and Wolfson Children's Rehabilitation have a new location in Fleming Island, right off U.S. Highway 17.
"It's nice not to have to worry about the traffic going downtown because you never know how long it's going to take you to get there," said Jill Macelyea, whose daughter Bree has cerebral palsy. "So we live right up the road, so this is nice."
Bree has been a patient with Nemours for years, but Thursday was her first time at the new location. The good news is she still gets treated by her same doctor she had in downtown Jacksonville.
"She's had a lot of orthopedic surgeries with him. We have a long history," Macelyea said. "We moved here in 2000 and have been seeing him ever since, so he's kind of more family than he is one of her doctors."
Bree's doctor, Eric Loveless, says features like the sliding doors at the new location make it easier on wheelchair-bound patients to get in and out of exam rooms.
"You might notice when you come to the clinic it has a different design than most clinics," Loveless said. "This was specifically thought out by multiple groups of people."
That's because family members of patients had a hand in the design. In the X-ray room, Bree got to pick a color and picture to look at while doctors X-rayed her.
Loveless said it's these features that make it more comfortable for patients who frequent the clinic.
"Depending on the medical condition of the child, sometimes they return to the clinic every week for several weeks, if not for 10 to 12 weeks, to follow their medical condition," Loveless said.
The Wolfson Children's Specialty Center at the Baptist Clay Medical Campus has a 24/7 adult and children's emergency center and a helipad for quick transport to the hospital.
Wolfson Children's Specialty Center includes Nemours Children's Clinic, the University of Florida Pediatric Cardiology and Pediatric Infectious Disease and Immunology, which will open Sept. 11, and Wolfson Children's Rehabilitation.
The center is putting on a Fall Family Health and Safety Fair on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. It'll have family activities planned, ambulance and fire trucks tours, and health screenings.