The second phase of UF Health North is another step closer to reality today as UF Health leaders and community members took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the campus’ new inpatient hospital.

The 92-bed tower is connected by walkways to the current medical office complex, the heart of the campus, which has been open since 2015. The new hospital consists of five floors, four for patients with all private rooms.

There is a 20-bed unit dedicated to labor and delivery and other women’s services, a 24-bed floor dedicated to intensive care, two 24-bed floors dedicated to general medical inpatients, and one floor for administrative services, a chapel, a cafeteria and more.

“The opening of this new hospital continues our mission of bringing the latest state-of-the-art technology, combined with the most effective patient care practices focused on quality, to the residents of North Jacksonville,” said David S. Guzick, M.D., Ph.D., senior vice president for health affairs at the University of Florida and president of UF Health. “We made a promise to the people of this community several years ago to bring them the very best of both, and I think they will be impressed.”

UF Health North’s medical office complex opened in February 2015 and has been a major success, earning 5 stars in emergency room and outpatient surgery care by Professional Research Consultants, a national health care research group.

“We are incredibly proud to bring another major health care resource to the people of North Jacksonville,” said Russ Armistead, CEO of UF Health Jacksonville. “The ingenuity of the building, combined with the best possible care, will further the success of this campus.”

UF North’s medical office complex includes a full-service 24/7 emergency room, outpatient surgery suites, imaging and other diagnostic services, a dedicated birth center, four floors of physicians’ offices and much more. The community’s response to the facility has far exceeded expectations, and UF Health officials are confident the new inpatient hospital will, too.

“Our UF physicians, along with the amazing staff of other health care professionals from UF Health, have brought outstanding care to this community, and I am confident this new hospital will continue to build on those services,” said Leon L. Haley Jr., M.D., dean of the University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville.

The inpatient hospital, a collaboration of UF Health, the architectural firm Gresham Smith and Partners, and contractors Batson-Cook Construction and Danis Construction, is 168,000 square feet and includes many advanced architectural features, including walls of windows in all patient rooms to allow for natural light, rooftop gardens, a courtyard to give patients and visitors a place to relax outdoors, and more.