OUR PROVIDERS
STEVEN RIVERS
M.D.
Dr. Rivers moved to The Villages in July 2004. He was born and raised in West Chester, Pennsylvania. He completed both his undergraduate degree and medical degree at the University of Iowa located in Iowa City, IA.
He completed his internship, and residency at the Florida Hospital Family Medicine Residency located in Orlando, FL. He is board certified in Family Medicine.
Dr. Rivers is devoted to providing quality, compassionate, medical care with a focus on preventive medicine. He is aggressive in educating the patient, and involving them in the decision making process. Services include, but are not limited to: comprehensive medical care, health maintenance, minor surgical procedures, skin care, and preventive services.
JULIO UGARTE
M.D.
Julio Ugarte M.D. grew up in Miami, FL. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He then completed medical school at The University of South Florida in Tampa, FL.
He also completed both his internship and residency at the Florida Hospital Family Medicare Residency in Orlando, FL and is board certified in Family Medicine.
He relocated to The Villages area in 1993. He thoroughly enjoys partnering with his patients to strive for optimal health and disease prevention. He uses both conventional and functional medicine in his integrated practice.
ANTHONY DESMARAIS
D.O.
Dr. Desmarais completed his final year of residency at Lower Bucks Hospital in Bristol, Pennsylvania. He completed his Medical Degree at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine’s home campus in Philadelphia. Prior to this, Dr. Desmarais served in the United States Army for 8 years. He went to the highly prestigious West Point Military Academy in New York right after high school, earning his BA in Information Systems Engineering as well as his commission to the ranks of a military officer where he continued his military service, including a year-long deployment to Iraq in 2009.
Dr. Desmarais and his wife Kelly have 2 children. Dr Desmarais is committed to providing thorough, compassionate, mindful care for his patients.
JUSTIN LENHART
APRN
Justin Lenhart is a native Lake Countian who graduated from The Villages Charter High School in 2011. He lived on the outskirts of The Villages and always enjoyed interacting with residents.
Now, he embraces the opportunity to treat them. Justin became an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) after graduating from Chamberlain University in 2021. He spent eight months completing a clinical rotation at Rivers Family Medicine before joining the practice in June 2022.
As a primary care provider, Justin can prescribe medications, order tests, and make referrals. His philosophy is to practice in a way that improves the quality and longevity of life for each of his patients.
Tara Rushing
APRN
Tara Rushing APRN grew up in Virginia, and then moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana as a teenager. She earned her associate degree in chemistry at LSU. After that, She obtained her Bachelor of Nursing degree at Western Governor’s University. Tara has 12 years of nursing experience in Nephrology, Medical ICU, and Cardiology Cath lab. She obtained her Master’s degree in Nursing, graduating with distinct honors, from South University in Tampa, FL. Tara is also a member of the distinguished Sigma Theta Tau Honors Nursing Society. While in grad school, Tara completed 2 years of clinicals at an Urgent Care center in Ocala, which only strengthened her skill set and knowledge base.
Tara is very passionate about her family and her patients. She places great value on being able to thoroughly educate her patients and providing individual patient care. She is of the mindset that the more educated a patient is, the better they can help manage their disease processes.
Tara has a husband a one daughter and is an avid Tiger fan.
