For the Ponte Vedra Recorder
Flagler Health+ and UF Health announced last Monday their intent to explore a collaboration that would bring a new concept in health and wellness to Durbin Park in St. Johns County. Last year, Flagler Health+ entered into an agreement with GATE Lands, the real estate subsidiary of GATE Petroleum Company, to purchase 40 acres within the company’s Durbin Park Development with an eye toward developing a health campus.
Flagler Health+ has now signed a nonbinding letter of intent with UF Health to evaluate options, which may eventually include hospital facilities, medical residency programs and other educational opportunities for residents and fellows. Discussions also are planned regarding ambulatory medical services that would expand the availability of accessible, high-quality, patient-centric care to the community.
“Collaboration is an important part of our strategy at Flagler Health+, as we look to create individualized experiences and customized service offerings for the distinctly unique communities we serve today, and those we will serve in the future,” commented Flagler Health+ President & CEO Jason Barrett. “UF Health is unsurpassed in its reputation for rigorous education in the health professions and its expertise in specialties that we believe will benefit the residents of Northern St. Johns County. I am excited about our potential to collaborate with UF Health and align in ways that support our vision to advance physical, social and economic health.”
Bringing compassionate, problem-solving care close to where people live and work is a hallmark of UF Health’s efforts as a premier academic health center committed to missions of research, teaching, patient care and community service.
“Academic health centers like ours make discoveries that lead to breakthroughs in patient care, and our patients are at the heart of everything we do,” said Dr. David R. Nelson, senior vice president for health affairs at UF and president of UF Health. “We offer compassionate care with a focus on world-class outcomes for all, no matter how simple or complex their illness, and we offer hope – and results – for those who have been told elsewhere they have run out of alternatives. We are looking forward to continuing discussions with Flagler Health+ to establish shared goals on behalf of residents of the region.”
Flagler Health+ anticipates breaking ground on the Health Village portion of the Durbin Park campus in the fall of 2020. The property is located between Interstate 95 and State Road 9B. While the details of a potential UF Health and Flagler Health+ collaboration are not yet defined, it would not be a merger or acquisition.
