Healthful News: UF Health's new CEO and hospital in St. Johns highlight industry's growth
UF Health St. Johns recently broke ground for a health and wellness campus at Durbin Park, part of its parent hospital system's $1 billion regional expansion plan.
The first phase of the 42.5-acre UF Health St. Johns Durbin Park will include a full-service 150-bed hospital with a focus on orthopaedics, neurosurgery, cardiovascular medicine and women’s services. Also planned are a multidisciplinary medical office building and an ambulatory surgery center, according to the UF Health St. Johns, part of the UF Health system.
The project is expected to bring 2,000 new jobs to the area and open by late 2025.
"The University of Florida has a bold vision for Northeast Florida," said Mori Hosseini, chairman of the UF Board of Trustees. "We deliver incredible results for Floridians. That’s exactly what we are going to do for St. Johns and the Jacksonville community."
The 395,000-square-foot Durbin Park hospital will include acute, intensive and emergency care; operating rooms; and an imaging suite and hybrid labs for interventional procedures, according to UF Health St. Johns. The ambulatory surgery center will focus on orthopedics and other surgical services, with operating and procedural rooms, office space and rehabilitation facilities.
"This is a region on the rise and we are proud to match our exceptional expertise with the needs of the community to revolutionize health services for the citizens of Florida," UF President Ben Sasse said. "The work that we do here is going to save lives."
The Durbin Park groundbreaking is just one of the recent news items to highlight Northeast Florida's expanding health care industry. Here are some more:
Wolfson Children's Hospital
Wolfson Children's Hospital recently opened a $9.5 million 20-bed unit for children and adolescents needing inpatient behavioral health care.
The Behavioral Health and Wellness Unit doubled the number of beds available at Wolfson, helping reduce wait times by 50%. Only 66 beds are available between Jacksonville and Orlando, which do not meet the "growing need," said Michael Mayo, president and CEO of Baptist Health, which includes Wolfson.
"Many may not be aware of the scarcity of hospital beds for children and teens who have a critical need for mental and behavioral health care," he said.
The additional 20 beds join Wolfson's 14-bed Larry J. Freeman Behavioral Health Unit and an eight-bed "behavioral health pod" in Wolfson's emergency center. The new unit "will not only help save lives but … serve as a safe and comforting space for our patients as they receive the care they need," Wolfson President Allegra Jaros said.
The unit was largely funded by $5 million from the Legislature and $3 million from The Players Championship Village Inc., a charity arm of The Players golf championship. The nonprofit Village provides drug and alcohol treatment recovery for youth aged 13 to 17 who could not afford treatment through for-profit facilities.
The Village gift is the latest in its longtime partnership with Baptist Health, which also included $1 million in 2011 and $2 million in 2016 for child health, wellness and injury prevention programs. The goal is "ensuring that young adults in our community have the right foundation for success," Village board member Jim Marlier said. "We are hopeful this gift will have a life-changing impact for youth."
Ascension St. Vincent's Riverside Hospital
Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside Hospital is partnering with Duval County Public Schools to develop an accredited certified nursing assistant, or CNA, program at Westside High School.
The program will provide 30 to 60 seniors "with a comprehensive educational experience, equipping students with the knowledge, skills and training essential for a career in health care," according to Ascension St. Vincent's.
"The partnership … showcases St. Vincent’s commitment to inspiring the next generation of health care professionals," hospital President Scott Kashman said. "Certified nursing assistants are an essential part of the patient-care team. … We feel it is our responsibility to allow young professionals to explore opportunities in health care as early as possible."
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The CNA students must complete three courses — anatomy and physiology, health sciences and nursing assistant 3 — and 40 "hands-on" clinical hours, including hospital rounds with nurses, according to Ascension St. Vincent's. They will take the Florida Nursing Assistant Certification exam during the final semester of their senior year. The career track can lead to work in patient care or administrative roles.
"Duval County Public Schools is always looking to partner with local, reputable employers, allowing our students to get an early start on meaningful, fulfilling careers," said Jill Fierle, the school system's director of career and technical education. The Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside program will provide them with clinical experiences, exposure to medical professionals and access to modern technology, "making them more attractive candidates to future employers," she said.
UF Health
Dr. Stephen Motew has been named the next president and CEO of the newly restructured UF Health "clinical enterprise," which includes UF Health Jacksonville and UF Health St. Johns.
In December the UF board of trustees created the UF Health Corp., a new legal entity and parent corporation "to guide the organizational, financial, and strategic goals for UF Health’s clinical enterprise — the UF Health hospitals and physician practice plans in Gainesville, Jacksonville and across its other regional sites," according to UF Health.
Beginning April 1, the regional CEOs at UF Health Shands, UF Health Jacksonville, UF Health Central Florida and UF Health St. Johns and the CEOs of UF Health’s faculty practices will report to Motew.
"This is important work," he said. "Together we will continue to develop common goals focused on serving our patients and our communities. Our shared professional expertise and personal commitment to improving lives will propel us to the next level."
Motew has about 20 years of leadership experience, most recently at Inova Health System in Northern Virginia, where he was executive vice president and chief of clinical enterprise. He is also a practicing vascular surgeon, according to UF Health.
"Steve is simply stellar, an advocate for patient-focused quality clinical care and innovation," Sasse said.
Motew succeeds Dr. David Nelson, who led the previous incarnation of UF Health and plans to take a sabbatical then rejoin UF’s senior team as an advisor to the president for biomedical research.
UF Health Jacksonville
UF Health Jacksonville has named Kerin Da Cruz as senior vice president and chief nursing officer.
She has about 30 years of health care experience, most recently as senior vice president, chief nursing officer and acting chief operating officer for Lawrence + Memorial Healthcare in Connecticut. That hospital is part of Yale New Haven Health, where UF Health Jacksonville CEO Patrick Green also served prior to moving to Florida last year.
"Kerin is bringing a wealth of valuable experience … and her passion for patients and the people who serve them will be an incredible asset for this organization and our community," Green said.
Baptist MD Anderson
Dr. Tomislav "Tom" Dragovich has joined Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center in Jacksonville as head of the division of cancer medicine and medical oncologist-in-chief.
Dragovich has about 20 years of experience in medical oncology and clinical research, most recently at Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center in Arizona, where he was a founding oncologist, interim chief of cancer medicine and head of the clinical research division. At the Jacksonville center, he will also serve as medical director of the center’s clinical research programs and expand cancer medicine programs at Baptist Medical Center South and Baptist Medical Center Clay.
Dragovich is dedicated "to advancing our understanding of cancer biology," said Dr. Bill Putnam, medical director of Baptist MD Anderson.
bcravey@jacksonville.com, (904)359-4109
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville area health care growth includes new St. Johns hospital
