Treasure Coast Community Health (TCCH), a key player in healthcare in Indian River County, has two major expansion projects in the works.
Currently under construction is the TCCH West Primary Care located in the old Clifton Furniture showroom on State Road 60.
“There was nothing out west of town in the way of medical facilities,” said Vicki Soulé, CEO of TCCH. “And with the growth that’s going on out there we wanted to fill that need. The new center will house doctors offering primary care, dental, behavioral health and X-rays. It will have its own lab and pharmacy. We expect to have that facility fully operational this summer.”
Groundbreaking for a new Oslo Pediatric Center is expected in February, part of a larger expansion campaign, which will enable TCCH to deliver better care to children and their families, combining comprehensive treatment approaches and a child-friendly environment, along with strategic partnerships. If all goes according to schedule, the new center should be opening mid-2026.
“In 2023 the John’s Island Community Service league funded a critical market analysis that determined additional healthcare resources were needed in our county and that children in particular were underserved,” Soulé explained. “The analysis also confirmed that the largest percentage of children, and the largest percentage of children living in poverty in the county, resided in the Oslo area, so this is where we decided to build our Pediatric Center.”
According to the Community Needs Assessment conducted by the Indian River Community Foundation, in partnership with the United Way and other philanthropic organizations, 16 percent of children in the county live below the Federal Poverty Level. As a result, many struggle to access affordable medical and dental care.
“TCCH provided care to over 9,500 children this past year with 38 percent of the children living in Indian River County,” said Lauretta Farrell, TCCH chief development officer. “Of those, 88 percent live at or below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. TCCH is already the largest provider of healthcare services to children insured by Medicaid and our new pediatric center will increase our capacity to serve nearly 15,000 children – more than doubling the number of pediatric patients currently seen across all of TCCH’s facilities.”
The innovative facility will provide preventative and specialty healthcare as well as pediatric physical, occupational and speech therapy, dental care and behavioral/mental health services.
The new 20,000-square-foot building will be built next to the existing TCCH center on Oslo Road and staffed with physicians trained to treat children from infancy to 18 years old. Once the patient ages out, they can transition to one of TCCH’s adult facilities.
The Pediatric Center is expected to generate roughly 28 local jobs, including healthcare and administrative support. Four new pediatricians, three dentists, two dental hygienists, five behavioral health counselors (LCSW), and one or two behavioral health providers who will do medication management will be recruited to staff the new facility.
“We are always recruiting,” Soulé explained. “We have young physicians that have large debts and through the National Health Service Corps, they are able to work off their debt. And we have a lot of physicians who move here, and they aren’t quite ready to retire but they don’t really want to open their own practice. So they come and work for us. We take care of all the administrative details so they can just focus on their patients. We provide clerical services, case management, referral assistance and all those things they would have to do in private practice. Plus, they have the flexibility of working as many hours as they wish and still have family time.”
TCCH also recruits from pediatric medical education programs with area medical schools including the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine future residency program in Indian River County.
TCCH has a longstanding relationship with Healthy Start Coalition, with the two organizations continuing to cross-refer clients to each other.
“Right now, the Healthy Start Coalition offices are located adjacent to our administrative offices on Indian River Boulevard,” Farrell explained. “They’ll be moving their headquarters into our new pediatric facility when it’s completed. We are proud to work together to improve the lives of moms, babies and families and establish ongoing primary and preventative care from birth to old age.”
“The two expansions will cost about $21 million combined,” said Soulé. “We’ve got about $19 million committed so far. The majority of the funding comes from the New Markets Tax Credit program, which is a federal financial program in the United States that aims to stimulate business and real estate investment in low-income communities in the United States via a federal tax credit.
“We will receive about $15 million through this program,” Soulé continued. “We are the first nonprofit in Indian River County to quality for funds from this program, so that’s huge, not only for us but for other nonprofits going forward. We already have about $2 million committed in philanthropic investments and we are working to raise additional funds through a grass roots capital campaign.
“Our children are our future,” Soulé concluded. “The Oslo Pediatric Center represents a significant investment in the future of our community. We are building healthy futures by establishing healthcare at the beginning of their lives and we are committed to providing top tier healthcare for children in a setting that promotes healing, comfort and trust.”
TCCH has provided high-quality, affordable healthcare to all residents of Indian River County and northern St. Lucie County regardless of income or insurance status since 1993. They’ve expanded to eight locations, employing nearly 350 professionals and serving about 33,000 patients yearly. As the community grows and evolves, TCCH continually adapts its services to meet the diverse healthcare needs of residents, helping ensure that people have access to the care they need.
For anyone who wants to contribute to the growth and mission of TCCH, there are numerous ways to donate, including naming opportunities for both new facilities. All gifts are tax deductible to the extent provided by law. You can contact Lauretta Farrell at 772-257-3254 to learn more about investing in the future of the community.
