Tampa General Hospital Opens Dedicated Primary Care Center for Veterans

Repurposed clinic in Tampa aims to fill the gap in medical services for area military personnel.

 

Tampa, FL (February 28, 2025) –Tampa General Hospital (TGH) today announced that it is converting a portion of one of its Tampa General Medical Group locations into a primary care clinic that exclusively serves veterans, reservists and National Guard members. The primary care clinic located at 2106 South Lois Avenue, Tampa, FL (TGMG Lois) now serves as a dedicated Military & Veteran Primary Care Center (MVP) offering primary care, behavior health, lab and pharmacy services plus a care navigator specializing in the needs of our veterans and the resources available to them.

 

Tampa General is offering this clinic as part of its commitment to serving the substantial military and veteran population in the greater Tampa area and addressing gaps in healthcare delivery for these patients.

 

“Tampa General is committed to serving the health and wellness of these patients,” stated Adam Smith, Executive Vice President & Chief Ambulatory Officer at Tampa General Hospital. “Combat and military service often creates invisible wounds that can lead to lifelong health effects. We have developed this MVP center in partnership with advocacy organizations to help establish a sense of unity and shared understanding between patients and providers, and to increase access to quality healthcare for these extraordinary patients.”

 

In developing and staffing the MVP clinic, Tampa General engaged community partners including our very own Veteran Team Member Resource Group and ongoing partner Home Base, a Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Program dedicated to healing the invisible wounds for veterans and service members. Home Base and Tampa General have multiple programs to help veterans develop healthy ways to build resiliency against post-traumatic stress, depression and anxiety.

 

Tampa General’s team worked closely with Home Base and veteran team members to design a clinical environment informed by the perspectives of military patients.  The Home Base team also provided MVP staff and clinicians with special training when working with military patients. In addition to providers from Tampa General Medical Group, the clinic includes a dedicated nurse navigator, skilled in the needs of the veteran population, who will develop a comprehensive approach to coordinate care, patient education, resource connection and advocacy. Additionally, they will help coordinate specialized mental health services for difficult diagnoses beyond the capabilities of the clinic’s behavioral health care for anxiety and depression.

“Tampa General is passionate about supporting our area’s military and veteran population  through a broad range of targeted programs,” said Dr. Karna Patel, Vice President, Tampa General Medical Group. “We believe that this clinic is a vibrant example of the ways in which we can support  the unique needs of these patients, and our hope is that these types of offerings will expand to increase access to quality healthcare for our veterans state-wide.”

TGH’s MVP Care Center on Lois Avenue began accepting patients in February of 2025. The clinic will follow a phased approach, initially only serving veterans, reservists and guard members and then expanding to family members in the future. Patients can schedule appointments at the MVP clinic by calling (813) 844-4200.