Flagler Health + and UF Health Collaborating to Expand Clinical Care and Training Initiatives

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Dec. 14, 2021 — Flagler Health + and UF Health announced today plans to collaborate on an expansion of graduate medical education programs and an array of clinical services across Northeast Florida, including new primary care sites in St. Johns and Flagler counties.

The two organizations are also discussing an exclusive collaboration to provide pediatric emergency care and subspecialty services on Flagler Health + clinical campuses.

“UF Health has a long track record of bridging scientific discovery with clinical advances that improve the lives of countless patients and of training the next generation of health care providers,” said David R. Nelson, M.D., senior vice president for health affairs at the University of Florida and president of UF Health. “We are excited about our shared vision with Flagler Health + to take health care to the next level and look forward to our ongoing discussions as we collectively continue to focus efforts across all our missions to deliver outstanding care for area residents.”

UF Health is exploring bringing its family practice residency programs to the Flagler Health + Durbin Park and St. Augustine campuses. Additional graduate medical education programs in a variety of specialties also are under consideration. Plans also include having medical, nursing, pharmacy and physician assistant trainees rotate at the various campuses.

Together, Flagler Health + and UF Health are committed to delivering the highest level of clinical quality and safety at all Flagler Health + clinical campuses, Nelson said. UF Health has identified several key clinical services to potentially offer at the Flagler Health + Hospital at Durbin Park, either on-site or through consultative or telehealth access, including burn care, endocrinology, gynecologic subspecialties, nephrology, neonatology, neurology, oral/maxillofacial surgery, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, plastic surgery, podiatry and psychiatry.

UF Health will continue its existing collaboration providing neonatology and neurology services at the Flagler Health + Hospital St. Augustine campus.

In addition, the health systems plan to work together to develop and implement a value-based population health delivery system in the Flagler Health + market area.

The Durbin Park campus of UF Health St. Johns is situated on 42.5 acres between Florida 9B and Interstate 95 in Northern St. Johns County. Plans include the construction of a new Flagler Health + hospital as part of a comprehensive health and wellness campus that furthers the Flagler Health + vision to advance the physical, social and economic health of Northeast Florida communities.

“This collaboration provides a great deal of flexibility and opportunity to advance the care missions of our two organizations today and in the future, while also preserving the 130-year legacy of Flagler Hospital,” stated Flagler Health + President & CEO Jason Barrett. “Our shared commitment to providing compassionate, quality care and achieving world-class outcomes serves as a solid foundation for bringing premier health and wellness offerings across greater Northeast Florida.”

Development of the Flagler Health + campus at Durbin Park has been underway since 2020. It is anticipated that vertical hospital construction will begin in summer 2022 with an opening in summer 2024.