Flagler Health+ now UF Health St. Johns
Flagler Health+ has a new name but the same mission.
The culmination of a process that began in the fall of 2022 when Flagler Health+ announced plan to find a “like-minded partner” in the healthcare sector, the company became part of the University of Florida’s academic health center and will be known as UF Health St. Johns.
“This is a win-win-win situation — for UF Health, for Flagler Health+ and — most importantly — for the patients we all serve throughout St. Johns and Flagler counties and beyond,” said Mori Hosseini, chair of the UF Board of Trustees, in a media release. “We are a university and a health system on the rise, and this is a community on the rise, one we are very proud to be a part of. This is a huge step forward.”
UF President Ben Sasse called the integration good news for the region.
“UF Health is committed to working collaboratively with the community to best meet the needs of patients and their families, and our health care providers will do that with the compassion, heart and tireless drive they are known for,” Sasse said in the release.
UF Health will infuse additional resources into one of the state’s fastest-growing regions — not just financial resources, but human resources and intellectual capital. That includes technologically advanced care focused on world-class outcomes, research opportunities — including access to new clinical trials — and training programs for the next generation of care providers, said Dr. David R. Nelson, senior vice president for health affairs at UF and president of UF Health.
“All of us at UF Health are excited about our colleagues from Flagler Health+ joining our organization,” Nelson said in the release. “Together, we have the resources and the community relationships to deliver outstanding care to everyone in what is one of the state’s fastest-growing regions. We will be able to bring innovative, high-quality, leading-edge care that builds on the Flagler Health+ legacy of supporting the health care needs of the residents of Flagler, St. Johns, Putnam, Clay and Duval counties.”
As part of the agreement, which closed Sept. 1, and in tribute to Flagler’s more than century long commitment to residents in the region, the hospital in St. Augustine will be renamed UF Health Flagler Hospital.
“Throughout our entire selection process and then in discussions about moving forward, all of us at Flagler Health+ understood that UF Health was the right choice so that we could continue our tradition of caring for our community and our commitment to our team,” said Flagler Health+ CEO Carlton DeVooght in the release. “This relationship brings the latest medical breakthroughs to the people we have served for more than a century, while greatly enhancing the services available.”
“Improving the health of our communities is why we exist,” Nelson said in the release. “Bringing together the expertise of both organizations will create the environment to make that happen.”
