Brooks Rehabilitation, Nemours Children’s Health, Wolfson Children’s Hospital and UF Health Jacksonville Partner to Enhance Pediatric Care

By combining resources and expertise, Brooks Rehabilitation, Nemours Children’s Health, Jacksonville, Wolfson Children’s Hospital and UF Health Jacksonville aim to provide more cohesive and accessible treatment options for pediatric patients. The new partnership provides for medical care, training and education to ensure children of all ages receive the best that each organization has to offer.

“This partnership marks a significant milestone in our mission to provide unparalleled care to the children of our region,” said Trevor Paris, MD, FAAPM&R, System Chief Medical Officer for Brooks Rehabilitation. “Through our shared commitment, we are ensuring that every child receives the best medical and rehabilitative care possible.”

Commitment to Pediatric Excellence

Noting a shortage of pediatric rehabilitation beds at Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital – University Campus (BRH) and in the state of Florida, Brooks fully committed to a pediatric program enhancement. With funding from the Florida legislature, Brooks was able to double the number of pediatric beds available at BRH, create a secured pediatric area with pediatric and sensory gyms, expand the state-of-the-art technology available to patients and provide the only, no cost, school re-entry services in the region.

This integrative approach ensures that children who historically transitioned directly to outpatient services can now receive the intensive and specialized pediatric services they need for best long-term outcomes. In 2021, Brooks saw seven pediatric patients from Wolfson Children’s, and this number has increased to more than 40 in 2024, demonstrating the growing need and success of this partnership.

Clinical and Educational Expertise

Under this new groundbreaking partnership, Nemours Children’s will employ two hospitalists at BRH to provide 24/7 medical coverage for pediatric patients. These hospitalists will be responsible for managing medical complexities, mitigating potential complications and ensuring patients are medically stable. An additional hospitalist will split time between Brooks and Wolfson Children’s, allowing for seamless integration and continuity of care.

In a separate collaboration, Brooks and UF Health will hire a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician to oversee the physical care of patients at Brooks’ inpatient and Pediatric Day Program. This physician will work closely with therapists and nursing teams to manage the physical aspects of recovery, like muscle tone and spasticity, ensuring patients are set up for success and smooth transitions back home.

Additionally, patients will have access to a team of Nemours Children’s and University of Florida subspecialists for consultations. This will create an increased network of physician support for patients being served at Brooks.

Brooks nurses will receive hands-on training at Wolfson Children’s, including the TAPS course (Transition from Adults to Pediatrics) to ensure they meet the highest standards of both Brooks and Wolfson Children’s pediatric care. After course work, they will complete multiple phases of direct patient shadowing at Wolfson Children’s, beginning with respiratory care, as part of this comprehensive training program.

“This announcement underscores the value and importance of collaboration between institutions, such as Nemours Children’s Health and Brooks. Aligning our two institutions through a common mission further enhances our goal of creating the healthiest generations of children,” said Andrew Stec, MD, Vice President, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for Nemours Children’s Health, Jacksonville. “By combining Nemours’ clinical resources and Brooks’ rehabilitation network, the children in our community benefit by receiving better specialized care closer to home while they recover.”

About Brooks Rehabilitation

Brooks Rehabilitation, a nonprofit headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., has been a comprehensive system of care for physical rehabilitation for more than 50 years. Ranked by U.S. News & World Report and Newsweek as the No. 1 rehabilitation hospital in Florida and top 20 in the nation, Brooks operates three inpatient rehabilitation hospitals in Florida and will open a new hospital on the Mayo Clinic campus in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2026. Through its commitment to innovation, Brooks is at the forefront of cutting-edge research, education and technology advancing the science of rehabilitation. Brooks provides outpatient services in more than 50 locations, offers skilled nursing, assisted living and memory care along with community programs and services to improve the quality of life for people living with physical disabilities.

About Nemours Children’s Health

Nemours Children’s Health is one of the nation’s largest multistate pediatric health systems, which includes two free-standing children’s hospitals and a network of more than 70 primary and specialty care practices. Nemours Children’s seeks to transform the health of children by adopting a holistic health model that utilizes innovative, safe and high-quality care, while also caring for the health of the whole child beyond medicine. Nemours Children’s also powers the world’s most-visited website for information on the health of children and teens, Nemours KidsHealth.org.

The Nemours Foundation, established through the legacy and philanthropy of Alfred I. duPont, provides pediatric clinical care, research, education, advocacy and prevention programs to the children, families and communities it serves. For more information, visit Nemours.org.

About Wolfson Children’s Hospital

Nonprofit Wolfson Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, is a part of Baptist Health, Northeast Florida’s most comprehensive health system serving every stage of life. Wolfson Children’s is the only children’s hospital in Northeast Florida and serves as the pediatric referral center for North Florida, South Georgia and beyond. Staffed 24/7 by pediatric nurses and other healthcare professionals specially trained to work with children, the 281-bed, patient- and family-centered hospital features the latest pediatric medical technology in a welcoming, child-friendly environment. At Wolfson Children’s, nationally recognized pediatric specialists representing nearly every medical and surgical specialty work with pediatricians to provide care for children of all ages with congenital heart conditions, cancer, neurological disorders, diabetes and endocrinology disorders, orthopedic conditions, behavioral health conditions, traumatic injuries, and more. Wolfson Children’s collaborates with pediatric organizations, including Nemours Children’s Health, Jacksonville, the University of Florida College of Medicine — Jacksonville, Emergency Resources Group, and Mayo Clinic Florida. A Magnet™-designated hospital since 2010, Wolfson Children’s Hospital has been named among the U.S. News & World Report 50 Best Children’s Hospitals year after year, and in 2023, was selected as one of only eight children’s hospitals in the country as a Leapfrog Top Children’s Hospital, a recognition of patient quality and safety. For additional information, please visit wolfsonchildrens.com.

About UF Health Jacksonville

UF Health Jacksonville is at the center of the region’s premier academic health center, a leader in the education of health professionals, a hub for clinical research and a unique provider of high-quality patient care.

With more than 7,000 faculty and staff, the academic health center in Jacksonville is the largest UF campus outside of Gainesville. UF physicians tally more than 600,000 outpatient visits and more than 34,000 inpatient admissions annually.

UF Health in Jacksonville, Florida, is composed of:

• UF Health Jacksonville, a 623-bed academic health center near downtown Jacksonville
• UF Health North, an outpatient medical complex, emergency center and 216-inpatient hospital in North Jacksonville
• UF Health Science Center Jacksonville, which encompasses three UF colleges in Jacksonville: Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy
• UF Jacksonville Physicians, Inc., a network of primary and specialty care centers offering exceptional patient care throughout Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia

Together with our University of Florida colleagues and affiliates, UF Health Jacksonville provides a wide range of health care services across the continuum of care on an inpatient and outpatient basis. Backed by a team of approximately 400 faculty physicians, we offer more than 100 specialty and subspecialty services.