New plaza creates a more welcoming arrival at AdventHealth Ocala

OCALA, Fla. - For patients and families arriving at a hospital, the first few moments can come with uncertainty, worry and difficult questions. A newly completed transformation at AdventHealth Ocala is designed to bring a sense of peace to those moments.

Hospital and community leaders dedicated the Frank and Angela DeLuca Plaza on Oct. 15, marking the completion of a long-term effort to transform the hospital's main entrance along U.S. Highway 441. The new plaza adds a fountain and landscaping to the redesigned entrance.

AdventHealth Ocala leaders wanted the space to reflect the compassionate, faith-based care patients and families encounter inside.

"When someone arrives at our hospital, they may be worried about a diagnosis or walking beside someone they love. They may be carrying questions they never expected to have to ask," said Erika Skula, president and CEO of AdventHealth Ocala. "We want this space to offer a sense of calm before the next step. That is where our welcome begins."

The Frank and Angela DeLuca Plaza was dedicated in honor of the couple's longstanding commitment to AdventHealth Ocala. Angela DeLuca previously cared for patients at the hospital, while Frank DeLuca has served on its board.

The DeLucas have also supported care for mothers and babies at the hospital.

During the dedication ceremony, Angela DeLuca said her family's involvement deepened after the hospital became part of the faith-based, not-for-profit AdventHealth system in 2018.

"When Advent came here and I had the opportunity to meet some of the staff who had a vision to become more part of the community, to take care of the people who live here, that was very powerful," Angela DeLuca said.

She said that the connection became even more personal recently when her first grandchild was born at the hospital.

Earlier in the day, AdventHealth Ocala also unveiled a sculpture near Palmer Lobby, the hospital's main visitor entrance, depicting Jesus seated on a bench with children.

Separate from the U.S. 441 plaza, but also part of how patients and families encounter the hospital, the sculpture offers a visible expression of AdventHealth's faith-based identity and its mission of Extending the Healing Ministry of Christ.

The two dedications marked the latest visible changes to AdventHealth Ocala's campus, reflecting both its longstanding ties to the community and the faith-based mission that guides its care.