TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — USF Health is officially opening the doors of a brand new center focused entirely on inflammatory bowel disease.

The IBD Center is the only one of its kind on the west coast of Florida, according to USF Health.

News Channel 8 got a first-hand look at the center before the official opening Thursday.

“This affects people of any age, if any gender, of any background, and it’s lifelong and incurable,” said Dr. Jennifer Seminerio, Director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center. “Ultimately, there’s very few of us throughout the country that practice inflammatory bowel disease.”

On Thursday, USF Health is opening the brand new Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center, located in the Morsani Building.

“Having USF and TGH come together to build a center is going to be life-altering for so many patients. They can see care that they wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else in the country,” said Dr. Seminerio.

The IBD Center includes a team of experts, to provide comprehensive care for Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. This includes doctors and surgeons, and will also have mental health and nutritional experts on hand to help deal with all aspects of the disease.

“So they don’t feel like they’re going to several different doctors, or multiple different specialties to get everything answered,” Dr. Seminerio said.

The goal is to make the center a home for people suffering from a disease that can often be debilitating.

“I hope that patients see that, and I hope that they see that every single person that works in this institution, that works in the center, is dedicated to one thing, and one thing only, and that’s making these patients’ lives better,” Dr. Seminerio added.

The center will also help build USF’s research program, and offer cutting-edge clinical trials to better understand IBD.

A ribbon cutting is being held Wednesday evening, and the center officially opens to patients Thursday morning.