Florida nursing workforce grows but struggles to meet demand
Florida’s nearly 500,000 nurses could soon fall short of demand as the state’s workforce ages and population grows. The Florida Center for Nursing studied the state’s nursing workforce. Executive Director Rayna Letourneau said while there are more nurses today compared to five years ago, the workforce is getting older. Only 7.2% are under 30. “Shortfalls that I’m concerned about is making sure that we have a healthy nursing workforce,” Letourneau said. [Source: WCTV]
Florida hospitals surge to seventh nationally in Leapfrog's spring safety grades
Florida climbed from 15th to seventh nationally in the latest Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades, one of the biggest jumps in the country amid broad improvements nationally in measures tied to infections, medication errors and patient care experiences. However, the spring grades, released last week by The Leapfrog Group, arrive with major changes in how the nonprofit hospital watchdog organization handles facilities that do not participate in its survey process. [Source: WUSF]
Can tarantula venom treat anxiety? This Florida high school senior thinks so
Daniel Park’s bedroom laboratory in Wesley Chapel doesn’t have bubbling beakers or rows of test tubes or any gleaming microscopes. Instead, the King High senior has a pair of Dell Windows computers, running powerful open-source software, powered mostly by his own curiosity. That humble setup helped Park engineer something that captured the top prize for seniors at the recent Florida Invention Convention: a computationally designed drug candidate for treating anxiety and depression, derived from tarantula venom. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Health equity scorecard finds Black patients have the worst outcomes in Florida
There's a persistent gap in healthcare performance among Black, Hispanic, Asian-American and Native American patients in Florida and their white counterparts. That's according to the 2026 Health Disparities Report published by the Commonwealth Fund on April 29, which evaluates how healthcare systems are working for racial and ethnic groups across the country. It uses the latest available comparable data from 2022 to 2024. The study tracks three health system indicators — access to care, quality of available health services and health outcomes. [Source: Health News Florida]
Florida launches maternal health initiative From the Start
A new statewide health initiative aims to improve medical care for pregnant and new mothers. The new “From the Start” initiative will also increase access to prenatal and postpartum care and address issues that affect vulnerable populations. Jacksonville Today thanks our sponsors. Become one. From the Start was developed to improve the health of pregnant women who are on Florida Medicaid, helping them access the support and resources needed from pregnancy through the first year of their child’s life. [Source: Jacksonville Today]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Tampa General Hospital performs 15,000th organ transplant, joining nation's high-volume elite
Tampa General Hospital has surpassed 15,000 organ transplants, a milestone reached by a small number of facilities nationwide and one that reflects the growing prominence of Florida in the field of transplant medicine. The achievement comes after a period of rapid growth for the 52-year-old program. In 2025, the hospital completed 895 transplant procedures, finishing among the nation’s top five centers for the third consecutive year.
› Jacksonville event offering free health and wellness services is ‘a big help’ for local patients struggling financially
Ascension St. Vincent’s hosted its Medical Mission at Home event Saturday at the Prime Osborn Convention Center, offering free health and wellness services to uninsured and underserved members of the Jacksonville community. The event marked its first return since the COVID-19 pandemic. Services ranged from diabetes education and cardiology screenings to foot washing.
› Brevard's healthcare landscape changed after hospital closure
As expected, the closing of Rockledge Regional Medical Center, the healthcare landscape in Brevard County has been altered as other healthcare facilities have had to pick up the slack. Patient loads at both Cape Canaveral Hospital and Viera Hospital, the two closest hospitals, are up by more than a fifth since the Rockledge hospital closed.
› This Broward hospital is suing Florida Blue over emergency care
Broward Health, which is one of the largest public hospital systems in the country and primarily serves northern Broward, is asking the court to decide how much Florida Blue, formerly known as Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, is required to pay for the out-of-network and “medically necessary” emergency care provided to Florida Blue members.