A Message from Patrick L. Green, FACHE, Senior Vice President and Northeast Florida Regional President, UF Health
At UF Health North, we have been honored to serve this community since 2015. Today, we continue to offer expert, compassionate care that you and your family can trust will always be there when you need us most. And now, as our community grows, we’re growing, too. With the expansions we’ve put in place, you can feel confident that for years to come, we’ll be ready to meet all your health care needs.
Our second hospital tower offers 124 inpatient beds, so whatever your medical needs, our talented and dedicated clinical teams will be there to care for you. An expanded Emergency Department staffed with boardcertified emergency physicians is ready to serve the community and offer immediate care. And when you need rehabilitation services, there is now a dedicated, state-of-the-art inpatient rehabilitation hospital on-site, designed to get you back on your feet.
And there’s so much more you’ll find detailed on the following pages. When it comes to caring for our community, UF Health North is the ideal hospital, ready for the next decade and beyond.
HEALTH NORTH BY THE NUMBERS *
216 INPATIENT HOSPITAL BEDS
4,997 OUT PATIENT SURGERIES
9,058 AD MISSIONS
41 S PECIALTY SERVICES
48,370 ER VI SITS
77,895 SP ECIALTY VISITS
CARDIOTHORACIC SURGERY TEAM
Redefining Cardiac Care
At UF Health Cardiovascular Center – North, every beat counts and excellence is the standard. Our experts have provided compassionate cardiac care to thousands of patients in this growing community.
Patients receive exceptional cardiovascular care with state-ofthe-art technology and a team of highly skilled, accomplished cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons. Equipped with the latest technology, our operating rooms offer minimally invasive
WHAT IS A ROSS PROCEDURE?
and robotic-assisted procedure capability to improve the lives of patients with cardiovascular disease.
The Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory allows physicians to conduct sophisticated and complex procedures to address a full range of cardiac events, including heart attacks; chest pain related to blockages; the implantation of pacemakers; heart valve replacements; electrophysiology to improve heart rhythm, and more.
At UF Health Cardiovascular Center – North, our expert physicians always have your heart health in mind. Under the leadership of Dominick J. Angiolillo, MD, PhD, FACC, the center has expanded to meet your needs and boasts an exceptional team of more than 20 cardiologists, ranging in specialties from interventional cardiology to nuclear cardiology.
“The expansion of our UF Health North campus has allowed us to further grow our cardiovascular operations, including both noninvasive and invasive procedures, and expand the care we provide to our ever-growing community in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia,” Angiolillo said.
As we redefine cardiac care for you, UF Health Jacksonville has welcomed two co-chiefs to the division of cardiothoracic surgery — Erol V. Belli, MD, and Thomas J. Zeyl, MD. Belli is a University of Florida associate professor and board-certified thoracic and cardiac surgeon. In his capacity as director of aortic surgery at UF Health Jacksonville, his focus is to build an advanced aortic surgery program. Belli is the only cardiac surgeon systemwide credentialed to perform the highly complex Ross procedure, an aortic valve replacement option. Zeyl is a University of Florida assistant professor who specializes in aortic surgeries, including the surgical treatment of aortic aneurysms and aortic dissections. Although he is mainly focused on the mechanics of the heart, he is also an expert in the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer, adding to the comprehensive and collaborative care patients receive at UF Health Jacksonville.
L-R: EROL V. BELLI, MD (TOP); THOMAS J. ZEYL, MD (BOTTOM); DOMINICK J. ANGIOLILLO, MD, PHD, FACC
Easy-to-read patient details.
Added care for you.
With advanced technologies in our newest hospital rooms, we can now offer you and your loved ones automatic updates to essential patient care information on easy-to-read digital screens. As a replacement for traditional dry-erase whiteboards, these screens will automatically update the list of your care team during shift changes to ensure more efficient care coordination. Additional information will include your preferred name and language, emergency contacts, and prescribed activities. And as an added measure of safety for you, digital signs outside the room will also provide critical information before staff enter, such as dietary restrictions, fall risk and allergies. In addition, patient room televisions use the Sonifi system to provide patient education, movies, games, and more.
TECHNOLOGY
Advanced operating room design. Better surgical outcomes.
To provide greater capability for advanced medical procedures, hybrid operating rooms now include medical imaging devices in the same space as traditional surgical equipment. This new design combination allows surgeons to perform imaging, biopsy, diagnosis, and surgery all in one room and eliminates the need for you to have multiple procedures with multiple doses of anesthesia. Having high-resolution, real-time images available during an operation also allows surgeons to perform minimally invasive procedures that may shorten your recovery time and may help achieve your best possible outcome.
NEW HYBRID OPERATING ROOM
SONIFI PATIENT SYSTEM DIGITAL WHITEBOARDS
WATCH A DEMO VIDEO
UF Health North
A PICTURE OF WORLD-CLASS PATIENT CARE
UF Health North made a dramatic impact on health care when it first opened in 2015, giving residents in North Jacksonville and Southeast Georgia a medical facility closer to home. Since then, we’ve continued to focus our resources and medical expertise on providing the best possible care for the community.
SEE WHAT LUXURY HOSPITAL ACCOMMODATIONS LOOK LIKE
Phase 3: 2024
Additional rooms for patient care
We’ve expanded to a second hospital tower that includes six floors and 124 private patient rooms, with several floors dedicated to acute care as well as patients who require acute physical therapy. Our Emergency Department also expanded to accommodate even more patients.
Specialty services
Our expanded hospital and medical office building space enabled us to add more providers and physicians and introduce additional programs, such as inpatient rehabilitation.
Beautiful surroundings
Our expansions were tailored to enhance the beauty of our campus and create a tranquil environment for your healing. Beautiful light fixtures, colorful wall murals, and thoughtfully chosen furniture pieces contribute to the luxury experience.
Phase 2: 2017
Phase 2 added a five-story bed tower with 92 all-private patient rooms. The expansion also included floors dedicated to labor and delivery and other women’s services, intensive care, and general medical inpatients, as well as space for administrative services, a chapel, a cafeteria, and more.
Phase 1: 2015
Phase 1 included a medical office building with a 24/7 Emergency Department, outpatient surgery suites, imaging, and other diagnostic services, and four floors of physicians’ offices.
What Our Employees Say About Us
Rea d what some of the employees are saying about working at UF Health North.
I’ve had an incredible front-row seat to the growth of the UF Health North campus. I love the team and culture that we’ve been able to build and maintain throughout that expansion. Our patients are at the heart of everything we do, and it’s all-hands-on-deck to ensure they have the best possible experience while in our care.
Linda F. Kim, MBA, MSHA, FACHE Director of Business Operations
The beautiful campus of UF Health North combines small town charm with big city medicine. Our University of Florida physicians and staff respect each other and collaborate to provide patients with the best possible outcomes, making it a wonderful place to work and an even better place to receive care.
Ruchir Puri, MD, MS, FACS Department of Surgery
Our team here on our North campus is dedicated to treating everyone with compassion and giving them the best care possible. It’s why I’m proud to be part of this organization.
Charles G. Bailey Jr., BSN, RN, CMSRN Medical-Surgical, Bed Tower 1
The employees are at the heart of why UF Health North is so special. Since opening day in February 2015, the North team has fostered a culture of hospitality and teamwork that continues to be felt by patients and visitors throughout the duration of their hospital visit. Working at UF Health North allows me to make a meaningful impact in the community and help support the mission of UF Health Jacksonville.
Sarah Hodge Executive Secretary
LOOKING FOR A CAREER CHANGE? WATCH A SHORT VIDEO ABOUT US!
Since joining UF Health North, my job satisfaction has exceeded all past experiences. Here, we are more than co-workers — we are a close-knit community — a second family that supports one another through thick and thin. Coordinating our dedicated volunteer team, whose commitment uplifts our patients and staff daily, fills me with immense pride.
Agatha
Arline
Volunteer Services Coordinator
Everything about North is special, from the design of the buildings to the beautiful artwork throughout, and especially the people who work here every day. What really stands out to me are the connections we are able to make with everyone who walks through our doors.
Virginia Palmer Patient Relations Supervisor
Neurosurgery Advances are Changing Lives
Finding Relief from Tremors
In late 2021, Alan Clark’s Parkinson’s disease had progressed beyond what medication could remedy. On recommendation from his primary care physician, Clark met with Daryoush Tavanaiepour, MD, chair of UF Health Neurosurgery –Jacksonville. After an extensive evaluation process with a multidisciplinary team of neurologists and neurosurgeons, Clark was considered a good candidate for deep brain stimulation, or DBS.
Tavanaiepour and his team performed two separate surgeries, one to place an electrode in Clark’s skull and the other to implant the impulse generator battery in Clark’s abdomen. Several months after the surgeries, Clark underwent programming sessions with the DBS neurostimulator, which established the best settings to optimize healthy outcomes and symptom relief.
Since having the DBS surgeries, Clark has regained many simple activities that previously hindered his everyday life, such as twisting a nut onto a bolt, buttoning his shirt, eating with a spoon, combing his hair, and brushing his teeth. He now enjoys visiting his favorite restaurants and meeting up with friends at church.
Visit UFHealthJax.org/DBS or call 904.383.1022 to learn more about DBS, or ask your doctor for a referral to schedule an appointment.
Battling a Spinal Tumor
In late 2019, Juan Sanchez began to experience weakness and tingling in his left foot, arm, and hand. He met with Kourosh Tavanaiepour, DO, medical director of the Comprehensive Spine Program at UF Health North, who confirmed the presence of a tumor between the C6 and C7 vertebrae, which was blocking the flow of spinal fluid from his brain to his spine.
Sanchez underwent an 11-hour surgery and spent 14 days in the ICU. After several months of physical rehabilitation to recover the movement and sensitivity he had lost due to the tumor’s pressure on his spine, he was able to return to work and resume an active lifestyle.
Six years later, Juan Sanchez has put his surgery behind him. He is now married and he and his wife, Stephanni, have a 3-year-old son.
“I still have some occasional discomfort on my left side related to the nerve damage caused by the tumor, but it doesn’t stop me from enjoying time with my family,” Sanchez said. “The morning of the surgery, I had a lot going through my head. I wanted to be able to work and play soccer again. I wanted to have kids and be able to hold them. I was scared, but Dr. Tavanaiepour and his team are the best. Thanks to them, I now have everything I could hope for.”
Doctors/Brothers — One
Specialty
WHAT IS IT LIKE TO WORK IN THE O.R. WITH YOUR BROTHER?
A Baby Boy Makes Three
FAMILY SPOTLIGHT AND BIRTH AT UF HEALTH NORTH
Soraya and Firas Katmeh already had two healthy daughters and, from the minute they found out they were expecting again, they couldn’t wait to find out the gender. Bloodwork in Soraya’s first trimester let them know they were going to have a son.
With the third pregnancy starting, they anticipated Soraya would have a similar pregnancy to the first two. But halfway through baby Adam’s pregnancy, Soraya felt the aches and pains of being near her due date. Her daily walks with friends had to stop as the pain in her joints increased. The discomfort, paired with chasing two active toddlers, made the many months to the due date go by slowly. Sometimes, the pregnancy pains in Soraya’s joints brought her to tears.
“Eventually I’d pick myself back up and carry on for the sake of my kids. It was all worth it for our newest sweet addition,” Soraya said.
The Katmehs chose UF Health North for their prenatal care and delivery. UF Health North provides support for custom birth plans and is recognized nationally by The
LeapFrog Group for having a low rate of cesarean sections. It was also convenient for the couple to meet for lunch after appointments while Firas was working.
Firas Katmeh, DPM, MSH, is finishing his podiatry residency at UF Health Jacksonville. Their family moved several times for medical school and residency. Their oldest daughter, Nora, now age 6, was born during his time in medical school in the suburbs of Chicago. Their second daughter, 3-year-old Diana, was born during his rotation at a hospital in Orlando.
Soraya did not have a specific birth plan in mind going into the delivery. However, she successfully used a peanut ball device during the delivery of her second child and requested one this time. A peanut ball is a large, peanut-shaped object that fits between the knees to help during labor. Other amenities and services available at UF Health North to laboring women are a variety of birthing balls, wireless monitoring to promote movement around the room, and hydrotherapy tubs to ease contraction pains.
UF Health Jacksonville and UF Health North have strong midwifery programs, with certified nurse-midwives who are also advanced practice registered nurses. Soraya was able to see multiple physicians and midwives during her prenatal care, and Elyse Beaubrun, APRN, CMN, was the one to deliver baby Adam in January 2024.
“All of the nurses and midwives I interacted with were wonderful,” Soraya said. “Each of them played a vital role in my and my son’s care and we are very grateful to them for all their hard work and kindness.”
UF Health North has 12 luxury birthing suites, where a mom-to-be can labor, deliver, and recover, all in the same room. Two dedicated operating rooms are nearby for planned or unplanned cesarean sections. Surgeons provide state-of-the-art “gentle C-sections” with added measures for the best possible experience for the parents and baby.
Visit UFHealthJax.org/pregnancy to view a virtual tour of the unit and call 904.427.8898 to make an appointment for prenatal care.
PHOTOS BY MENDI WALLACE WITH PHOTO NURSERY
From Setback to Triumph
How Dr. Jason Piraino helped a champion recover
Just two weeks before the end-of-season competitions, elite swimmer Victoria Weldon faced an unexpected challenge — she broke a bone in her foot. Overcome with emotion, she feared her journey to the state championship had come to an end.
“Once I heard it was broken and I needed surgery, I thought my senior year was ruined,” Victoria said. She also feared her absence would derail her team’s state championship hopes.
Then she met Jason A. Piraino, DPM, foot and ankle surgeon at UF Health Jacksonville. Against what Victoria and her parents thought were impossible odds, Piraino managed to get Victoria back in the pool in less than a week after surgery.
She did the rest. Rolling up to the diving board on a knee scooter, diving off with one foot, and using one foot for wall turns, Victoria won the 100m butterfly at the district level and went on to win accolades at the regional meet and the state championship.
“I wanted to give her the opportunity to compete, and honestly I wasn’t sure how she would perform,” Piraino said. “I knew she was very competitive and talented, but I wasn’t sure what her pain level would be. Turns out she won her first race.”
The accident
It all began after a Tuesday swim practice, according to Mariam Weldon, Victoria’s mother. Her daughter swims with Bishop Kenny High School during swim season and year-round with a private club team.
As she was making dinner, Mariam heard a piercing scream. Victoria had put on a pair of platform sandals and slipped, rolling her foot. Her mother was convinced it was just a sprain until the next day when her daughter was in excruciating pain and couldn’t walk on the swollen foot.
Yet, the surgeon had a different outlook from the first moment, according to Mariam. “From the start, the whole team focused on what they could do,” she said. “They never said, ‘Sorry, you broke your foot and you can’t swim, and we have lots of other cases to handle.’ ”
Piraino was optimistic because he had already helped several athletes achieve a faster recovery. “We had done a minimally invasive procedure on a similar fracture of a young skateboarder and had great success,” Piraino said. “So, I was pretty confident that I could get her where she needed to be. And Victoria’s sport wouldn’t require her to walk on the foot to compete.”
After a trip to urgent care where they learned a bone was broken, Victoria was able to meet with Piraino. It was then she learned she would need surgery before swimming again or risk further damage to her foot.
“Victoria had broken a small bone on the outside of her foot at the bottom of the small toe,” Piraino said. Describing it as an avulsion fracture, Piraino explained that the tendon pulls so hard it breaks the bone.
The surgery
Though her parents thought surgery meant she would not swim, they also realized Victoria would heal and go on to swim in other competitions. It was disappointing, but not serious.
Piraino operated on Victoria’s foot using a procedure that he said had been pioneered with several professional athletes. Piraino secured the tendon and placed two small screws to repair the fracture. When he talked with Mariam afterward, he said all went well, and that she was clear to swim.
The teen’s mom was not only shocked to hear her daughter could swim but also the doctor had taken the time to talk with her. “The level of attention he gave us is something you see only in movies at the ER, not in real life,” Mariam said. “I tremendously appreciated that, and it was above and beyond for him. Especially for a situation that isn’t life threatening.”
The happy ending
The normal time for a full weightbearing recovery from the surgery would be four to six weeks. So, Piraino told Victoria she should use a knee scooter to avoid putting weight on the foot. To keep the wound dry, they used a waterproof film that was also wrapped in waterproof bandages.
She swam in the regional meet the next week and the state championship the next, winning the high-point award for the highest scoring female on her team throughout the season and post season. “My team, because of the points that we earned, ended up winning all of the districts for the girl’s teams, so we had a trophy too, and we were runner-up at regionals,” Victoria said.
Jason A. Piraino, DPM Foot and Ankle Surgeon
