UF Health, the University of Florida's academic health center in Gainesville, has completed the acquisition of St. Augustine, Fla.-based Flagler Health+, which will be renamed UF Health St. Johns.
UF Health will inject additional resources — including financial and human resources and intellectual capital —- into one of Florida's fastest-growing regions, UF Health said in a Sept. 13 news release.
That includes advanced care focused on high-quality outcomes, research opportunities and training programs for the next generation of providers, according to David Nelson, MD, senior vice president for health affairs at UF and president of UF Health.
UF Health also plans to implement an enterprisewide technology strategy, including an EHR system and new clinical equipment to support its providers. The system will also increase access to capital for future investments in facilities, infrastructure technology and growth.
Flagler Health+ has one hospital — 335-bed Flagler Hospital. UF Health includes two acute-care hospitals in Gainesville and Jacksonville, as well as a psychiatric hospital, rehab centers, home health services and more than 45 physician practices with over 700 providers.
As part of the transaction, which closed Sept. 1, Flagler Hospital in St. Augustine will be renamed UF Health Flagler Hospital.
"This is a win-win-win situation — for UF Health, for Flagler Health+ and — most importantly — for the patients we all serve," Mori Hosseini, chair of the UF board of trustees, said in a Sept. 13 news release. "We are a university and a health system on the rise, and this is a community on the rise … This is a huge step forward."