May 2025 | Vanessa Caceres
SPOTLIGHT
When someone is having a stroke, there’s a “golden hour” for patients to receive fast treatment for lifesaving results and less brain damage.
A new mobile treatment unit from UF Health in the Gainesville area helps to bring quicker care to those having a stroke.
The Mobile Stroke Treatment Unit has a 30-mile radius in Alachua County. In tandem with Alachua County Fire Rescue, the unit is staffed with a registered nurse, CT technologist, paramedic and an EMT, along with a vascular neurologist on telemedicine, says Nicolle Davis, director of the mobile stroke program.
The team provides treatment en route to the hospital versus having patients wait to get a CT scan and treatment at the hospital.
Since launching in July 2023 and through late January, the mobile unit has admitted 712 patients and provided 175 acute, critical interventions, Davis says.
“We are bringing expert stroke care to the patient more quickly. It’s like bringing the ER to your driveway,” Davis says.
The unit also enables patients to have their stroke work-up immediately, leading them to bypass the ER and go directly for care to UF Health.
The UF Health mobile stroke program also has an agreement with rural EMS agencies in 11 nearby counties where the treatment unit will meet with the rural EMS agency at a predetermined location. The mobile unit staff will assume patient care at that point. There were 175 requests for these rendezvous points from July 2023 to late January of this year.
A mobile stroke treatment unit is planned within the next year for UF Health Jacksonville and UF Health Central Florida.
HEALTH CARE
- The Freytag Cancer Center at AdventHealth Palm Coast has opened in Flagler County. The $30-million center spans two stories and 30,000 square feet and offers cancer treatments such as precision medicine and immunotherapy. UF Health Jacksonville CEO Patrick Green has been named regional president of UF Health’s newly created Northeast Florida division, which includes Jacksonville and St. Johns. UF Health also created two other new divisions. Its Central Florida division will be helmed by Heather B. Long, and its Greater Gainesville division will be led by Michael B. Holmes.
- Baptist Health has broken ground on Baptist HealthPlace at Seven Pines in Jacksonville. The 10-acre campus will include two medical office buildings offering primary care, cardiology care and a wellness center. It may house an ambulatory surgery center and imaging or lab services in the future. The site is expected to open by next spring.
DEVELOPMENT
- Freehold Communities of Boston has broken ground in Green Cove Springs on its latest 2,240-acre “agrihood” that could bring more than 4,480 homes built by Lennar and Ryan Homes. Agrihoods are planned communities that weave agriculture into a residential setting.
EDUCATION
- The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) and Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) have partnered to create internships for FSCJ students in automotive technology and related areas. Under the agreement, JTA and FSCJ can work together to create a curriculum within mass transit and for the development of new vehicle technologies, including autonomous vehicle systems.
JAGUARS
- Mark Lamping will continue to serve as president of the Jacksonville Jaguars through the 2030 NFL season, per a recent contract extension.
- Iguana Investments, a development firm owned by Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan, has purchased the downtown Jacksonville fairgrounds for $15.1 million and plans to use the 14 acres for extra parking for Jaguars games and other events. The Greater Jacksonville Agricultural Fair, which was previously held at the site, is changing locations.
INSURANCE
- Pat Geraghty, 65, will retire as president and CEO of GuideWell and Florida Blue at the end of the year. He has served at the helm of Florida’s largest health insurer since 2011, growing it into a comprehensive health solutions enterprise with $32 billion in revenue and more than 38 million members. He’s also been a prominent voice in health care policy and was recognized as FLORIDA TREND’S 2014 Floridian of the Year. The company has launched a search for his successor.
CONSTRUCTION
- Walmart is planning to build a 174,437-sq.-ft. Supercenter and 4,365-sq.-ft. liquor store in Duval County near the border with Clay County and close to Oakleaf Plantation Parkway. The city of Jacksonville issued a permit for the $30.2-million construction project in March.