Wertheim UF Scripps Institute gift brings support, name change

Along with the largest individual gift in the University of Florida’s history comes a new name for an institute poised to become one of the world’s leading forces in biomedical research: The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology.
The Dr. Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Family Foundation has provided $100 million — which, coupled with a 10-year, $1 billion fundraising campaign currently underway — will amplify fundamental science, drive research that translates profound discoveries from bench to bedside to business, support training the next generation of innovators and investigators, and improve the health outcomes and experiences of countless patients and families.

The gift will support the continued development of more than 100 acres — a 30-acre campus situated within Palm Beach County’s innovation corridor that houses 360,000 square feet of research facilities, offices and classrooms and an adjacent 70-acre tract of land. — Stacey DeLoye

Heather Bentley Long named CEO for UF Health Central

Heather Bentley Long has been named chief executive officer of UF Health Central Florida. Long will guide UF Health Central Florida, which includes UF Health The Villages® Hospital, UF Health Leesburg Hospital and an outpatient practice network, to improved operational efficiencies and enhanced quality of care to best meet the needs of patients and to situate these large community hospitals for long-term success.

Long joined UF Health Central Florida in June 2021 as chief operating officer, and has had a singular focus on cultivating a culture of excellence and nurturing teamwork and employee engagement across all facets of the health care system in Central Florida. She also spearheaded significant operational improvements, including the recent launch of EPIC, the new electronic health record. — Andrea Sellers

UF Health Ocala neighborhood hospital construction underway

UF Health is bringing its warm patient care and nationally recognized medical expertise to Ocala with a new neighborhood hospital.
The 150,000-square-foot hospital will include 10 emergency rooms, 10 inpatient rooms, a medical imaging center, four surgical operating rooms and other features. Construction is underway at a 28-acre site at Northwest Blichton Road and Northwest 35th Avenue Road, just east of Interstate 75. The facility is expected to be completed in spring 2024.

The new Ocala neighborhood hospital is the latest effort to bring top-quality health care to residents throughout Central and North Florida. In early 2020, UF Health acquired hospitals in Leesburg and The Villages®. In March, UF Health began an expansion that includes a second inpatient tower at UF Health North in Jacksonville. More recently, state officials committed
$80 million for a state-of-the-art trauma center at
UF Health Jacksonville. — Doug Bennett