Welcome to the spring 2019 edition of Academic Matters, the e-newsletter of the University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville.

The winter season is fully behind us, with favorable weather and blooming flowers signifying the emergence of spring. Growth and vitality are omnipresent.

That observation also applies to our academic health system, which has recently seen the appointment of a new senior leader, the construction and opening of new facilities, and campuswide efforts to foster greater equity and advocate for the wellness of all employees.

NEW UF HEALTH PRESIDENT

In late April, University of Florida President Kent Fuchs announced the appointment of David R. Nelson, M.D., as senior vice president for health affairs at the university and president of UF Health. He had served in those roles in an interim capacity for nearly a year.

The announcement came after months of intense vetting of Dr. Nelson and three other finalists. Many of us had a chance to meet the finalists when each one spent a day in Jacksonville discussing their background and vision for our health system.

Dr. Nelson, a professor of medicine and assistant vice president for research at UF, has worked on the Jacksonville and Gainesville campuses for many years and, as a result, has intimate knowledge of the organizational matrices and a strong understanding of the strengths, weaknesses and needs for the entire health system. He has been a great advocate for the Jacksonville campus and I look forward to working closely with him moving forward.

WILDLIGHT

Much transformation has taken place in recent months at Wildlight, the new community in Nassau County that will feature a UF Health medical office building and a rehabilitation center.

In April, we held a groundbreaking ceremony for the latter, a 36,000-square-foot facility that will include a YMCA presence. It will offer adult and pediatric rehabilitation services, including physical and occupational therapy and speech language pathology, and a healthy living center. Pradeep Kadambi, M.D., M.B.A., will discuss last month’s topping-off ceremony for the medical office building in the UFJP Operations section of this newsletter.

We are excited about everything happening at Wildlight as we expand the UF Health brand and bring top-quality services to a new population.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

Florida’s state legislative session ended in early May. The issues most impacting Jacksonville’s UF Health entities dealt with funding and the repeal of the Certificate of Need law.

Initial proposals from the House and Senate cut our hospital’s Medicaid base rates by $3 million to $13 million. However, our final cut was only about $300,000. This is thanks to efforts by our legislative team in Tallahassee, financial reports from hospital Chief Financial Officer Dean Cocchi and lobbying efforts by myself and others. We are also grateful for support from Sens. Rob Bradley, Audrey Gibson and Aaron Bean, as well as State Rep. W. Travis Cummings, who supported us in the final hours.

The hospital saw a $12 million increase in Low Income Pool, or LIP, funding. The practice plan also saw a small net increase of about $3 million in LIP funding. We will have final numbers once the finance teams for the hospital and practice plan have had a chance to review.

Meanwhile, the state voted to repeal the Certificate of Need regulation, now allowing any health system or organization to essentially build a hospital in any location, at any time, without approval from the state or rebuttal from another hospital.

Hospitals can now be built directly across the street from any UF Health facility. On the flip side, though, we can now build close to any of our competitors. It’s too early to assess the impact, but we will need to keep an eye on this over the next several years.

ON-CAMPUS FOCAL POINTS

We continue our search for a new senior associate dean for faculty affairs and associate vice president of development and are interviewing finalists for the dual role of vice president of community engagement and chief diversity officer.

Meanwhile, there has been much discussion about equity among faculty at the college. A third-party firm is coming in to examine salary, including as it pertains to gender differences. Madeline Joseph, M.D., speaks in depth about equity and inclusion in a special section of this newsletter.

Also, well-being remains in the forefront. We want to ensure resources are available for faculty physicians and others who may be experiencing burnout and other challenges, whether professional or personal. David Chesire, Ph.D., discusses the all-new Center for Healthy Minds and Practice in the newsletter’s Wellness section.

We hope you enjoy this edition of Academic Matters and take time to read about the various accomplishments, plans and objectives across the college. Thanks for everything you do in helping us pursue our vision to be the region’s most valued health care asset.

Sincerely,

Leon L. Haley Jr., M.D., MHSA, C.P.E., FACEP