I-TEAM: Patients shocked by trauma center bills
The News4JAX I-TEAM has found patients can be charged up to $34,000 in fees for just being brought to a trauma center after a traumatic injury, and data shows the rate of trauma alerts, which trigger these fees, is growing faster than Florida population, elderly population, and violent crime rate.
Local health expertโs take on when to seek monoclonal antibody treatment
UF Health Jacksonville had considered no longer ordering the Regeneron monoclonal antibody treatment but with the new numbers from the CDC, they backed off that decision and will continue to offer Regeneron treatment, Neilsen said.
Untangling Those Christmas Lights with Childrenโs Miracle Network | River City Live
CMN Hospitals is hosting the 26th Annual Festival of Lights 5K on Sat. Dec. 4 in San Marco Square. This unique, holiday-themed race will raise vital funding for the pediatric programs at UF Health Jacksonville and Wolfson Childrenโs Hospital.
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๐70-year-old refused to leave daughterโs bedside after hospital visitation hours ended, police say
A 70-year-old great-grandmother was arrested Monday after she refused to leave her daughterโs bedside at UF Health North after visitation hours ended, according to the Jacksonville Sheriffโs Office.
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Dean named at UF College of Medicine-Jacksonville after death of Dr. Leon Haley Jr.
Linda R. Edwards will serve as dean of the UF College of Medicine-Jacksonville for a one-year term, and the university will launch a national search to replace Dr. Leon L. Haley Jr., according to a UF Health news release.
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Jacksonville doctor calls on DeSantis to declare state of emergency due to COVID hospitalizations
As hospitalizations due to COVID-19 continue to leave emergency rooms overwhelmed, a well-known Jacksonville immunologist on Monday called for Gov. Ron DeSantis to declare a state of emergency in Florida.
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Coast Guard: Water was calm on day of WaveRunner accident that killed UF Health Jacksonville CEO
The water was calm on Saturday and conditions were safe at the time of a personal watercraft accident in Palm Beach County that left UF Health Jacksonville CEO Dr. Leon Haley Jr. dead, according to the Coast Guard.
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UF Health Jacksonville CEO remembered as a family man & proud father of 3
UF Health Jacksonville CEO Dr. Leon Haley Jr., who died this weekend in a personal watercraft accident in South Florida, was more than just the man who ran the large hospital and medical group. News4Jax learned he was also a proud father of three children.
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State-of-the-art surgery center celebrates groundbreaking in Jacksonville
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ Jax Spine and Pain Centers, in collaboration with UF Health Jacksonville, has begun work on a multispecialty surgery center and medical office building. The 19,000 square foot Centurion Surgery Center will be housed in a new three-story, 54,000 square foot medical facility with 12 outpatient operating suites and procedure rooms, according to a news release. The $25 million project, the news release states, will be the largest freestanding multispecialty surgery center in Jacksonville. It will offer patients neurosurgical, interventional pain management, orthopedic, gastrointestinal, oral, and maxillofacial, surgical, and gynecological care. The future Centurion Surgery Center is slated to open in spring 2022.
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Jacksonville hospitals struggle to meet demand for vaccine
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ While grocery stores and state-run coronavirus vaccine clinics focus on inoculating people over 65 and healthcare workers against COVID-19, Gov. But Florida hospitals say theyโre not getting enough vaccine doses from the state to make a significant dent in that vulnerable population. Since December, more than 200 hospitals throughout Florida have received shipments of the vaccine from the state. UF Health Jacksonville received two shipments within a week of each other in mid-December when vaccines began in the state of Florida. Because of that, the hospitals are not currently vaccinating any members of the public, let alone those with preexisting conditions.
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UF Health Jacksonville CEO warns you can carry virus even after vaccination
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ More women in Duval County are coming down with COVID-19 than men, which goes against the national trend. That was one finding announced Thursday by the head of UF Health Jacksonville. Another important note UF Health Jacksonville CEO Dr. Leon Haley said even if youโve gotten both doses of the vaccine, you can still carry the virus in your nose -- and thatโs why itโs critical you still wear a mask. For 10 months, UF Health has been sharing with City Council and other elected officials about what the pandemic is doing in Jacksonville. Haley said so far, most people who have reactions or symptoms after vaccination are getting those after the second dose.
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UF Health Jacksonville among hospitals offering COVID-19 vaccines to some patients
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ Right now, the priority in Florida is to vaccinate those age 65 and older and frontline health care workers against COVID-19. But Florida Hospital Association President and CEO Mary Mayhew explained that another group is eligible to get vaccinated at certain hospitals. Right now, UF Health Jacksonville is one of the hospitals that will vaccinate its patients if they have certain preconditions. AdIn an email sent to a patient, the hospital said it now has COVID-19 vaccines available on a limited basis. โIโm encouraged that we will start to see slight increases of the amount of vaccines coming to Florida,โ Mayhew said.
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Jacksonville hospitals see number of COVID-19 patients dip amid resurgence
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ Despite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and White House Coronavirus Task Force saying Jacksonville is in the red zone when it comes to the coronavirus, local hospitals say the number of COVID-19 patients here has dipped slightly. A recent report from the White House Coronavirus Task Force says Florida and Duval County are in the midst of a full COVID-19 resurgence, and in turn management at several Jacksonville hospitals acknowledged they have been dealing with the surge. But Chad Neilsen, infectious disease director for UF Health Jacksonville, said the numbers are leveling out in the last two days. โI do think largely the Mayorโs Office extending the mask mandate across Duval County helped,โ Neilsen told News4Jax. Across Baptist Healthโs five facilities throughout Northeast Florida, there are 177 COVID-19 patients, 36 of them in the ICU.
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Hospital workers receive second dose of COVID-19 vaccine as officials work to ramp up public vaccinations
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ Jacksonville hospital workers are receiving their second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine as health department officials are still working to ramp up the volume of vaccinations given to the general public. As of Wednesday, more than 16,000 people in Duval County had been vaccinated, according to Florida Department of Health data. Bernadette Belgado, director of pharmacy at UF Health Jacksonville, said Wednesday that the hospital has vaccinated close to 50% of its workforce and planned to administer second doses of the vaccine to 700 of its workers. The state Department of Health in Duval County is leading the effort to vaccinate the general public in Jacksonville at the Prime Osborn Convention Center. A spokesperson for the Duval County agency confirmed two senior centers, Lane Wiley Senior Center and Mandarin Senior Center, have been approved to become vaccination clinics.
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Jacksonville grandmother loses battle with COVID-19
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ Days before the new year, Cheryl Bacon, 52, took her final breath at UF Health Jacksonville after losing her battle with COVID-19. โA week later, on Dec. 20, is when we were notified that she had COVID-19.โFrom the sound of her voice, Booth said, she could tell that her motherโs health was declining. โWhen I talked to my mom on a daily basis, her voice just kept getting weaker and kept getting weaker,โ Booth said. She encourages those who have a loved one battling COVID-19 to take it day by day. โNever stop praying,โ Booth said.
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No side effects from COVID vaccine at UF Health
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ As the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine continues to roll out -- another 100 more employees at UF Health Jacksonville got the shots on Tuesday -- experts are closely monitoring recipients for any side effects. David Meysenburg, the division director of critical care at UF Health, was one of the first to receive the vaccine on Monday. Really, after any kind of medication, thereโs a possibility youโre going to have some kind of reaction or symptoms,โ Meysenburg said. Unlike some flu vaccines, the COVID-19 shot does not contain a live virus. โInstead, this vaccine uses MRNA technologies, so, in essence, we are basically fooling the body into activating the immune system against COVID-19,โ said is Chad Neilsen, director of infection prevention at UF Health Jacksonville.
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More workers at UF Health Jacksonville get vaccinated for COVID-19
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ With the arrival of 10,000 more doses of COVID-19 vaccine at UF Health Jacksonville on Tuesday, 100 front-line health care workers got their first shots. โItโs an honor that UF Health was one of the five hospitals in Florida to do this. โI trust the people here at UF Health Jacksonville, especially the physicians. Once health care and front-line workers are done, residents of long-term care facilities are next and then people aged 65 and older. They are the front-line health care workers in the emergency departments and the ICUs around the state,โ Duane said.
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DeSantis calls COVID-19 vaccine arrival in Florida โhistoric momentโ
Tampa General, UF Health Jacksonville and three other large hospitals will split about 100,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine between Monday and Tuesday. They will administer it to their staff members, distribute the vaccine to other nearby hospitals and front-line health care workers. DeSantis said the state will also receive 20,000 to the state to supplement the private vendors giving vaccines at LTC facilities. DeSantis then left the room without taking questions about why the state was not making White House Coronavirus Task Force reports for Florida public. The task force also urged leaders to begin warning about the risks of gathering during the December holiday season.
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UF Health CEO gets first COVID-19 vaccine in Jacksonville
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ Eleven months after the earliest recorded case of coronavirus in the United States, the first 10,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine arrived Monday morning at UF Health Jacksonville and the first 10 shots were quickly administered to emergency room and intensive care workers, including the medical centerโs CEO. Pfizerโs COVID19 vaccine shipment from Michigan arrived around 9:15 a.m. Jacksonvilleโs vaccine supply was transported in freezer packs along with 3 million other vials set to be delivered across the country. News4Jax spoke with African Americans in Jacksonville about the new vaccine who had mixed feelings about the shot. The first shipments of Pfizerโs COVID-19 vaccine headed out from Michigan Sunday morning. Five of Floridaโs largest health systems, including UF Health in Jacksonville, will receive 100,000 doses.
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UF Health Jacksonville to give first 10 COVID-19 vaccines Monday
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ UF Health Jacksonville received its first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine on Monday and the first 10 shots will be administered before noon, a spokesperson for the hospital told News4Jax. Chad Neilsen, UF Health Jacksonville director of accreditation and infection prevention, said that once the hospital gets its first shipment, it will start giving vaccines to its high-risk and high-exposure health care workers as soon as possible, including doctors and nurses in the emergency department and those working in the COVID-19 unit. CEO Leon Haley, who is also an emergency physician, will get the first of 10 shots given on Monday. UF Health will also deliver the vaccine to other hospitals in the area. The first shipments of Pfizerโs COVID-19 vaccine headed out from Michigan Sunday morning.
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UF Health ready to receive first shipments of COVID-19 vaccine
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ UF Health Jacksonville is getting ready to receive doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in the first shipment. News4Jax spoke with the Director of Infection Prevention at the hospital about the timeline to receive doses of the vaccine in Florida. The Director of Infection Prevention, Chad Neilsen, says doses of the vaccine could start arriving at the hospital in the next few days. Florida is expected to receive more than 179,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine in the first shipment, more than half of those will go to the hospitals, and the remaining will to go long-term care facilities. UF Health says some people are already showing up at the hospital to try and get the vaccine and they are reminding people not to do that.
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UF Health Jacksonville sees surge in COVID-19 patients
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ UF Health Jacksonville said it is expecting a recent surge in COVID-19 patients to get worse. โCurrently, here at UF Health Jacksonville, we do have the capacity to continue to accept other patients,โ said Neilsen, who also described more about the age of patients being treated for the virus. Across the city of Jacksonville and the Duval County area, we are seeing some of that young age, so an average age of new cases is still hovering around 40.โNeilsen said he expects UF Health Jacksonville to receive the first vaccine, if approved, as early as a week from Monday. Neilsen explained why he believes if the vaccine is granted approval, Americans should be confident it is safe. They are making sure everything passes muster and that this is a safe efficacious vaccine,โ Neilsen said.
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Jacksonville hospital among 5 in Florida to get COVID-19 vaccine first
That would mean there will be enough vaccine for 20 million Americans by the end of December,โ DeSantis said. pic.twitter.com/TcVBKrKlEH โ Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) November 19, 2020Five hospitals throughout the state are prepared to store the vaccine, including UF Health in Jacksonville. The state of Florida has identified 5 different hospital systems who have the ability to store the vaccine at those temperatures and administer that to the qualifying individuals,โ DeSantis said. According to the stateโs COVID-19 Vaccination Plan, health care employees, essential workers, high-risk and older populations are expected to be the first who would receive the vaccine. โAs an example, the ability to transport the vaccine, keep the vaccine cold, actually disseminate the vaccine, distribute the vaccine, give the vaccine as far as nurses and so on,โ Goldhagen said.
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UF emergency medicine researchers taking part in five COVID-19 studies
Researchers are actively enrolling eligible patients at UF Health Jacksonville in COVID-19-related research studies. The efforts contribute to important work being conducted around the world to help researchers and clinicians better understand and more effectively target treatment options for COVID-19 patients. โUF Health emergency medicine is leading the way around COVID-19 research on our campus. An additional study involves enrollment in the Indiana University COVID-19 Registry to allow UF Health Jacksonville to share information on COVID-19 patients, containment and care escalation efforts. โOur team of emergency medicine physicians engaged in COVID-19 studies exemplifies the spirit of our division and our commitment to contributing to the greater good of the medical community,โ said Hendry, associate chair of emergency medicine research at the UF College of Medicine โ Jacksonville.
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Doctors refute Trumpโs claim that COVID-19 is less lethal than the flu
Dr. Caro says while the number of hospitalizations is down compared to the end of summer, people should not let their guards down. โItโs hard to predict whoโs going to do well and whoโs not all we know some people are at higher risk for having problems,โ he said. With flu season fast approaching Dr. Caro warns people not only have to take precautions against COVID-19 but also the flu. โThe flu is definitely not more lethal than COVID,โ Kantor said. Dr. Caro and Dr. Kantor agree that COVID is more deadly, but thatโs not to downplay the flu.