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UF Health Children’s Surgical Center expands to meet community needs

As the need for specialized care for children grows, the UF Health Children’s Surgical Center is growing to meet it.

Patients in Gainesville and the region will benefit from an expanded UF Health Children’s Surgical Center. Construction on the new surgical center, currently located at the Ayers building on Southwest Second Avenue, will begin this week.

“This endeavor reflects our ongoing goal to provide compassionate, quality care for our local community and across North Florida,” said David S. Guzick, M.D., Ph.D., senior vice president for health affairs at the University of Florida and president of UF Health. “The new state-of-the-art children’s surgical center is designed to provide care and support for our youngest patients and their families.”

The new UF Health Children’s Surgical Center will be located on Hull Road off Southwest 34th Street. The new 17,500-square-foot facility, which will be connected to the UF Health Florida Surgical Center, will have its own family friendly entrance and waiting area.

The new center will feature a nature-themed design, echoing the design of the UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital. Separate preoperative, postanesthesia care and postoperative recovery areas will be designed to ease pediatric surgery patients and their loved ones through every step of their experience. The facility will include four large operating rooms designed specifically for procedures for children and adolescents.

“We want to ensure every mother, father and grandparent has a supportive and comforting experience at UF Health while we care for their children,” said Ed Jimenez, interim chief executive officer for UF Health Shands.

Last fiscal year, the UF Health Children’s Surgical Center team performed 2,300 procedures, including but not limited to dental, ear/nose/throat, urologic and general surgeries. The team is on track to exceed that volume this year.

“Our pediatric doctors, nurses and clinical teams offer highly specialized, focused care for infants, children and adolescents,” said David W. Kays, M.D., chief of pediatric surgery and medical director of the UF Health Children’s Surgical Center. “A contemporary physical space is essential for our providers to practice innovative medicine and serve the unique needs of children and families.”

UF Health facilities experts and architects used input from UF College of Medicine faculty physicians and nursing and clinical staff from the UF Health Children’s Surgical Center.

The new center will open next spring and services at UF Health Florida Surgical Center will continue without interruption.

For media inquiries please contact Rossana Passaniti at 352-273-8569 or email passar@shands.ufl.edu

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