A new health clinic has opened in Riverview offering adult and family medical care, walk-in appointments as space allows, and a sliding-fee scale for patients without insurance, as the fast-growing South Hillsborough County community strains to keep pace with its own population boom. Suncoast Community Health Centers opened the location at 10334 White Viburnum Way in April 2026, serving residents of Riverview, Gibsonton and surrounding communities.
The nonprofit, federally qualified health center has served Hillsborough County since 1977 and now sees more than 72,000 unique patients and conducts more than 250,000 visits each year, according to the Osprey Observer. The Riverview center is part of Suncoast's continued expansion, and it accepts most insurance plans, including Medicaid, Medicare and the Hillsborough County Health Care Plan. That county plan, funded through a local half-cent sales tax, delivers free managed care to uninsured residents earning up to 175% of the federal poverty level — $27,930 annually for an individual in 2026 — who don't qualify for Medicaid or Medicare, according to Hillsborough County government.
Suncoast Community Health Centers CEO Bradley Herremans said families in southeastern Hillsborough County needed a local health care option, per the Osprey Observer's report. The new location was highlighted during National Health Center Week, which ran through August 2-8, 2026, and which recognizes the role community health centers play in providing care regardless of patients' ability to pay.
A Clinic Built for a Booming Suburb
Riverview's population reached approximately 113,697 residents in 2024, up more than 20% from the 107,396 recorded in the 2020 U.S. Census and up nearly 60% from 71,050 in 2010, according to U.S. Census data. That surge has already strained public infrastructure and emergency services across the area, a dynamic Hoodline previously explored in its coverage of South County's $1.6B water push.
The growth has also drawn major hospital investment nearby. AdventHealth opened a $263 million, 82-bed hospital in Riverview in October 2024 and plans to expand capacity to 152 beds by November 2026 to keep up with the region's rapid growth. But community health centers like Suncoast fill a distinct niche, offering sliding-fee primary care and accepting the county's tax-funded health plan rather than focusing on acute inpatient treatment.
More Than Medical Care
Beyond exam rooms, Suncoast connects residents with social services, insurance enrollment assistance, financial counseling and behavioral health support. The sliding-fee scale for uninsured patients is based on household income and family size. Suncoast expanded its “connected care” initiative through a formal partnership with Feeding Tampa Bay in August 2026, linking primary care visits directly to regional food assistance and wraparound social services.
The organization has also invested in staffing and technology to manage its patient load. In October 2025, Suncoast integrated Sunoh.ai across its care sites, deploying AI medical scribes that transcribe patient visits in English, Spanish and Portuguese for its 75 clinical providers. It also runs its own state-licensed vocational school, Suncoast Career Academy in Brandon, training dental assistants, pharmacy technicians and medical assistants to help address regional clinical staffing shortages.
Herremans, who leads the organization, completed a 22-year military career as a U.S. Air Force Medical Service Corps Officer — including roles as Commander of the 341st Medical Group and Chief of Staff for the Air Force Surgeon General — before marking 18 years leading Suncoast in August 2026.
Strain on the Safety Net Persists
The Riverview expansion comes as community health centers and safety-net providers across Hillsborough County continue to face elevated patient volumes and longer wait times for specialty referrals, as uninsured residents increasingly depend on community clinics for routine care. Hoodline reported on that dynamic earlier this year in its story on squeezed Tampa Bay clinic patients. Suncoast maintains Federal Tort Claims Act deemed status under Section 330 of the Public Health Service Act, giving it federal funding and malpractice liability protection as an official Federally Qualified Health Center, which allows more revenue to go toward direct patient care.
The Riverview facility sits inside a 16-unit professional office park about 500 feet south of Gibsonton Drive, giving it proximity to Interstate 75 and U.S. Highway 301. Appointments can be made by phone at 813-653-6100, and the clinic welcomes walk-ins as space allows.
