Now that the new heart and vascular and neuromedicine hospitals are open, activities are underway to thoughtfully use the vacated space at UF Health Shands Hospital that had housed these services.

UF Health’s strategic growth plans focus on meeting the most pressing needs of our patients and community. We face an increasing demand to serve chronically critically ill patients who require extended hospital care following their time in an ICU.

Long-term acute care hospitals, or LTACHs, like Select Specialty Hospital – Gainesville, fill this need. They support the recovery of patients with critical illnesses. They provide specialty care led by a physician and multidisciplinary teams of therapists and nurses over an extended period of time in a hospital setting.

The fifth floor of UF Health Shands Hospital (Unit 54/55) is being renovated to serve this unique patient population. This summer, Select Specialty Hospital – Gainesville, currently located on Archer Road, will move into the updated space.

“As the volume grows at UF Health Shands Hospital and the complexity of care increases, there’s a greater demand for post-acute services like those offered by Select Specialty Hospital,” said UF Health Shands CEO Ed Jimenez. “Our new model will not only provide expanded capacity, but it will also give us the opportunity to offer patients a more seamless transition of care.”

This is the next step in our relationship with Select Medical, which began in 2016 when we became co-owners of the stand-alone critical illness recovery hospital. The relationship combines the academic expertise of UF Health with Select Medical’s long-term care expertise and unmatched quality and outcomes in treating chronically critically ill patients.

The hospital-within-a-hospital will be staffed and operated by Select Medical, including nurses, respiratory care and clinical and support staff. The current hospital administrator, Ronnie Wagley, D.P.T., M.B.A., market CEO for Select Medical, will continue to serve as its leader. The medical staff will be a mix of UF College of Medicine faculty physicians and community physicians. UF Health Shands will provide some of the hospital’s operations and support services, such as Environmental Services and Radiology Services, for efficiency and ease as part of the hospital building.

“We are enthusiastic about renovations and changes that support the quality care provided at UF Health,” said Brad Pollitt, UF Health Shands Facilities vice president. “An academic health center is a living, breathing organism that requires renewal to meet our mission and continue innovative growth.”