Gainesville Hospitals on the Leading Edge of Care
The Gainesville Region has some of the strongest health-care, medical and research facilities in the nation.
With two major hospital systems and the University of Florida’s outstanding medical education and research facilities, Gainesville offers access to the most up-to-date treatment procedures and health-care expertise available.
“The health-care sector forms a strong economic engine that has a dynamic multiplier effect on economic vitality and job creation for the region,” says David Guzick, senior vice president for health affairs at the University of Florida and president of University of Florida (UF) Health. “Because of our strong medical community in the region, we can attract talent from anywhere in the country and around the world.”
University of Florida Health, one of the Southeast’s most comprehensive academic health centers, has main campuses in Gainesville and Jacksonville and more than 22,000 faculty and staff. UF Health includes six health colleges, nine research institutes and centers, two teaching hospitals, two specialty hospitals, dozens of physician medical practices and outpatient services throughout North Central and Northeast Florida, as well as two veterinary hospitals.
“The location of a premier teaching hospital, six health profession colleges, and associated research centers and institutes under unified leadership on the main campus of a major university is unique among academic health centers in the United States,” says Guzick. “This result in an unusually high level of interaction and collaboration among faculty, students and staff across disciplines and across missions.”
In January 2015, UF Health broke ground on the UF Health Heart & Vascular Hospital and the UF Health Neuromedicine Hospital, a $415 million project that will create the Southeast’s most advanced home for care of patients with heart, vascular and neurological illnesses. The hospitals will be housed in one contiguous building, creating more efficient care and procedures for patients with a variety of treatment options. The new facility will have more than 521,00 square feet of space when completed in 2018. UF Shands Hospital is nationally ranked in three specialty areas, and UF Shands Children’s Hospital is ranked in seven specialty areas, according to U.S. News & World Report .
The University of Florida Health Sciences Center’s six colleges include the College of Medicine, College of Dentistry, College of Pharmacy and College of Public Health and Health Professionals. UF Schools consistently rank among the highest-rated colleges in their specialty areas, according to US News.
North Florida Regional Medical Center (NFRMC) is a Gainesville-based, 432-bed, full-service medical and surgical acute-care center serving 14 counties and offering comprehensive cardiovascular care, oncology, orthopedics, neurosciences, minimally-invasive laparoscopic and robotic surgery, weight loss surgery and treatment, women’s health and wound therapy, among other services. NFRMC is an affiliate of Hospital Corporation of America.
“This region is fortunate to have a private hospital option in North Florida Medical Center,” says Brian Cook, president and chief executive officer of NFRMC. “As the third-largest private employer in the area, we are an important community asset and partner.”
Cook says the area is fortunate to have a tremendous pool of talented medical professionals who want to remain in the community. The hospital has set its plans for expansion in several important care areas. NFRMC began graduate medical education in 2015, introducing its first postgraduate training program for medical students with a residency program in family practice. The hospital also plans to open a specialized pediatric emergency room in fall 2015. A 20-bed behavioral health unit was opened in 2014, and there are plans to expand it by 13 additional bed in the near future. By the end of 2015, the hospital plans to move into the area of advanced cardiothoracic surgery with a new minimally invasive heart valve surgery program. NFRMC has earned national recognition and top rankings in a number of specialty care areas by US News.