UF Health opens Heart & Vascular, Neuromedicine hospitals in December
UF Health will expand on its mission of patient-centered care when the UF Health Heart & Vascular Hospital and the UF Health Neuromedicine Hospital begin treating patients in December.
These new hospital towers encompass more than half a million square feet of space, adding 216 private rooms and 15 operating rooms at a cost of about $415 million.
The new hospitals represent an important step in UF Health’s ongoing efforts to meet the growing needs of patients in the Gainesville area, and throughout the state, the Southeast and beyond. They will create a healing environment in which UF Health’s personalized, humanistic approach to the care of each patient will draw on the latest technologies in medical science and patient experience.
People who come to UF Health in need of medical evaluation and treatment for cardiovascular or neurologic disease will be cared for, in a single comprehensive location, by a team of highly skilled physicians, nurses and other health professionals who are entirely dedicated to the care of patients with these conditions.
“Due to the tremendous efforts of our faculty and their health care teams in providing health care that puts the patient at the center of everything we do, UF Health experienced tremendous growth in recent years,” said David S. Guzick, M.D., Ph.D., UF senior vice president for health affairs and UF Health president. “By 2013, it was clear that we would need additional space to meet the growing needs of our patients. Therefore, with enthusiastic support of our hospital board, we made the commitment to build two new hospitals devoted to patients with heart and vascular disease, and to those with neurology and neurosurgical conditions.”
University research and education are intertwined with patient care, said W. Kent Fuchs, Ph.D., president of the University of Florida.
“The opening of these new hospitals will spur the translation of scientific discoveries and enhance our training of health care professionals, while augmenting our ability to serve patients in Florida and beyond who increasingly seek our care,” Fuchs said.
The new facilities include more expanded surgical space than what was previously available for minimally invasive heart, vascular and neuromedicine procedures. Additionally, each patient room is equipped with specialized technology to aid patients in managing their personal environment while in the hospital. These features will help reduce complications, improve the patient experience, and provide better outcomes and faster recovery times.
Encompassing 521,104 square feet, the new UF Health Heart & Vascular Hospital and UF Health Neuromedicine Hospital will have a combined 216 private rooms — 120 for heart and vascular patients and 96 for those requiring neurological and neurosurgical care. The hospitals also feature 15 operating rooms — five general ORs each for cardiovascular care and neurosurgery procedures, two neurosurgical hybrid ORs (i.e., surgical theaters equipped with advanced imaging), one cardiac hybrid OR and two vascular hybrid ORs.
The hybrid ORs mean patients with complex conditions will no longer need to be transported from one area of the hospital to another in order to undergo lifesaving surgeries, such as the placement of an aortic stent. By using the most current diagnostic technology during a neurosurgical procedure, such as intraoperative MRI UF Health’s neurosurgeons can better determine if brain tumor cells have been successfully removed without the patient having to leave the OR.
“The need for excellent neuromedicine and cardiac care will continue to grow. Who better than UF Health to lead the way in education, patient care and research as we develop and implement new treatments for this segment of the population?” said Ed Jimenez, UF Health Shands CEO. “Thanks to the excellent work and dedication of our teams, over the past decade UF Health Shands has become a destination center for patients needing complex heart, vascular and neuromedicine services.”
Through these two new hospitals, UF Health continues to grow in capability to fulfill its mission to conduct breakthrough research that can be translated into improved clinical outcomes.
“In both neuromedicine and cardiac and vascular care, our physicians continue to change the way major diseases and conditions are treated and how care is delivered,” said Michael L. Good, M.D., dean of the UF College of Medicine. “From multistage clinical trials to new surgical and therapeutic procedures, these research programs will generate the breakthroughs that change patient care for the entire world.”
The opening of the new Heart & Vascular and Neuromedicine hospitals is part of an overall comprehensive plan to advance the missions of the University of Florida by serving the needs of patients in the local area, throughout the state and beyond; by translating scientific discoveries into improved patient outcomes; and by provide national leadership in training the next generation of health professionals.