Four Jacksonville hospitals are partnering to better serve pediatric patients.
The cooperative agreement between Brooks Rehabilitation, Nemours Children’s Health, Wolfson Children’s Hospital and UF Health Jacksonville provides medical care, training and education and aims more cohesive and accessible treatment options, according to a Nov. 20 news release.
“This partnership marks a significant milestone in our mission to provide unparalleled care to the children of our region,” Dr. Trevor Paris, system chief medical officer for Brooks Rehabilitation, said in the release.
“Through our shared commitment, we are ensuring that every child receives the best medical and rehabilitative care possible.”
Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital received money from the state Legislature to double the number of pediatric beds at its University Boulevard campus. The money was also used to create a secured pediatric area with pediatric and sensory gyms, expand the state-of-the-art technology available to patients and provide the only no-cost school re-entry services in the region.
In 2021, Brooks received seven pediatric patients from Wolfson Children’s Hospital. In 2024, that number has increased to more than 40 so far.
UF Health Jacksonville is teaming with Brooks to hire a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician to oversee the physical care of patients at Brooks’ inpatient and Pediatric Day Program, the release said.
The collaboration allows patients to have access to a team of Nemours Children’s and University of Florida subspecialists for consultations, creating a larger network of patient support.
The Wolfson’s Children’s Hospital’s Transition from Adults to Pediatric course is now available to Brooks nurses.
“This announcement underscores the value and importance of collaboration between institutions, such as Nemours Children’s Health and Brooks. Aligning our two institutions through a common mission further enhances our goal of creating the healthiest generations of children,” said Dr. Andrew Stec, vice president, chief medical officer for Nemours Children’s Health, Jacksonville, in the release.
“By combining Nemours’ clinical resources and Brooks’ rehabilitation network, the children in our community benefit by receiving better specialized care closer to home while they recover.”