When he arrived in St. Petersburg in 1972, Dr. Gary Osher planted a row of
tiny trees outside his orthopaedic offices. For years, Dr. Osher would wander
outside each day during lunchtime to water the fledgling trees. Today, the retired
surgeon cranes his neck to see the majestic palms looming high into the sky beside the
five-story building that is now home to Suncoast Medical Clinic.
When Pinellas County's two largest physician groups -- Suncoast Medical Clinic
(est. 1956) and St. Petersburg Medical Clinic (est. 1952) -- joined together
in 1997 to become one, the partnership yielded the area's premier, full-service
healthcare provider. Suncoast Medical Clinic today remains the leading choice for
the community's healthcare needs. And as the trees planted more than three decades
ago, the Suncoast team continues to grow and nurture relationships with the people
in the place it calls home.
St. Petersburg Medical Clinic
The St. Petersburg Medical Clinic was founded in 1952 by four internists hoping to provide
higher quality medical care to their patients. Helping to pioneer the idea of multispecialty
physician practices at the time, the physicians recognized that a close association among various
specialties would foster sharing of knowledge, staff, resources and experience while rendering equipment
purchasing and maintenance more efficient and effective.
As more physicians joined St. Petersburg Medical Clinic, the group
expanded the clinic building in 1958. By 1970, Mayo Clinic architects
Ellerbe & Associates of Minnesota were commissioned to devise long-range plans
for a structured expansion program that would be accomplished in four phases and
accommodate a team of 40 physicians.
St. Petersburg Medical Clinic and its physicians were driven by the mission
of treating the public with the most complete and quality healthcare
available in Pinellas County. The team believed such care requires not
only highly trained, conscientious and sincere physicians who have access
to the latest diagnostic equipment, laboratory and radiology facilities,
but also a courteous and efficient staff who helps patients receive care in
a responsible, professional and personal manner.
Suncoast Medical Clinic
Founded by Dr. Douglas Hood, a general practitioner, Suncoast Medical Clinic
opened its doors in downtown St. Petersburg in 1956. By the early 60s, the clinic
housed 10 general practitioners and added its first specialist - a radiologist
- in 1962. The clinic remained primarily a family practice group for another decade
before surgical and medical specialists joined the team. By 1975, Suncoast was comprised
of 20 physicians: 12 family practitioners and eight specialists.
The original clinic building was a renovated apartment house
that gradually was expanded and connected to a neighboring building
as the medical practice grew. By 1968, the updated facility housed
ancillary departments including laboratory, radiology, physical therapy, EKG and audiology.
Faced with increasing pressure to add more space, the Suncoast team started plans to develop
a new facility adjacent to Bayfront Medical Center. Construction of the 43,000-square-foot
facility began in 1977, and Suncoast celebrated its grand re-opening one year later. In the
years to follow, Suncoast Medical Clinic continued to grow its family of physicians and expand its facility.
Today, the more than 100,000-square-foot facility
houses members of the original staff of both
St. Petersburg Medical Group as well as Suncoast Medical Clinic.
Now operating under the name Suncoast Medical Clinic, the team continues on a
course of long-term growth and ongoing improvement.
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