State budget has $80 million for new UF Health trauma center named after Leon Haley

David Bauerlein, Florida Times-Union
·4 min read
The UF Health Jacksonville trauma center dates back nearly 40 years and needs more space to serve patients. The proposed 2022-23 state budget contains $80 million for building a new trauma center that would be named after Leon Haley Jr., who was CEO of the medical center until his death last July.
The UF Health Jacksonville trauma center dates back nearly 40 years and needs more space to serve patients. The proposed 2022-23 state budget contains $80 million for building a new trauma center that would be named after Leon Haley Jr., who was CEO of the medical center until his death last July.

The proposed state budget contains $80 million to build a new trauma center for UF Health Jacksonville that would be named in honor of the late Leon Haley Jr., who was CEO at the hospital until his death last summer in a watercraft accident.

Russ Armistead, who came out of retirement to return as CEO of UF Health Jacksonville after Haley's death, called it a "watershed event" for the hospital.

"We just as a safety net hospital have never had the financial resources, and frankly wouldn’t have the resources, to build something like this," he said. "It’s a huge deal for the city and the region."

The final round of budget talks this week finalized adding the $80 million to the proposed 2022-23 budget that state lawmakers will vote on Monday.

"That was one of Dr. Haley's dreams, to build a new place," said state Sen. Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach.

Family pride: Mark Woods: For son of late UF Health CEO Leon Haley, a Super Bowl of tears and joy

Dr. Leon L. Haley Jr: UF Health Jacksonville CEO Leon Haley killed in personal watercraft accident in South Florida

More: UF Health Jacksonville CEO Dr. Leon Haley Jr. led area's COVID-19 response

State Sen. Travis Hutson, R-Palm Coast, and state Rep. Wyman Duggan, R-Jacksonville, carried the requests through the Senate and House respectively. State Sen. Audrey Gibson D-Jacksonville, also submitted a request for the funding.

Such member-sponsored projects typically end up being a few million dollars at the most, so the $80 million figure stands out as a large expenditure. Armistead recalled that in his first tour as CEO, he tried unsuccessfully to get $10 million from the state Legislature back in 2014 for a new trauma center.

"It was a desperate need then, and the need has gotten worse," he said.

He and Bean said Haley's legacy helped generate backing from lawmakers. Armistead said when he got a call that said the proposed budget would have $80 million in it, "My comment was, ‘Dr. Haley continues to give to the community.’ There’s no other way to describe this."

“He was such an inspirational community leader, as well as the medical center leader," Armistead said ."There were just a lot of people who, when you mentioned the name Leon Haley, they got it. They knew who he was."

The UF Health Jacksonville Leon L. Haley, Jr. M.D. Trauma Center will be built on the medical center's Eighth Street campus off Interstate 95 north of downtown. The hospital said in a statemen it will be a "catalyst for downtown renewal and will benefit the community for decades to come."

"At almost 40 years old, this city-owned facility needs critical updates to keep pace with new technology and contemporary medicine," UF Health said in the statement.

If the $80 million appropriation makes it through the vetting that Gov. Ron DeSantis gives the budget with his line-item veto pen, it would add an infusion of state dollars on top of an ongoing campaign by the city of Jacksonville to upgrade city-owned buildings at the medical center.

The city has been making annual contributions through its budget. This year's support is $20 million, which is the third year in a five-year program that would total $115 million for building maintenance and upgrades.

Armistead said the the current trauma center and emergency room are so heavily used that it's not possible to renovate that space. Instead, a new building will be constructed nearby. Armistead said the ballpark figure for the entire project is around $90 million, with about $80 million of it for a 65,000 square foot building and the remaining $10 million for equipment.

The Level 1 designation for the trauma center puts UF Health Jacksonville in the ranks of hospitals able to provide the highest level of emergency care in life-and-death situations. The closest other Level 1 trauma centers are in Gainesville to the south and Savannah, Ga. to the north.

The emergency department serves about 125,000 patients per year, according to a Senate fact sheet on the appropriations request. It draws patients from Duval, Nassau, Clay, St. Johns, Baker and other surrounding counties.

Leon Haley Jr. served as CEO of UF Health Jacksonville until his death last summer. He worked closely with the city of Jacksonville for a multi-year program of maintenance and upgrades to the city-owned buildings at the Eighth Street campus.
Leon Haley Jr. served as CEO of UF Health Jacksonville until his death last summer. He worked closely with the city of Jacksonville for a multi-year program of maintenance and upgrades to the city-owned buildings at the Eighth Street campus.

Bean said the regional impact gave the project an "extra boost" and lawmakers also wanted to honor Haley, who died last July in a watercraft accident in South Florida.

In addition to the work Haley was doing for UF Health Jacksonville, Haley was a high-profile leader in Northeast Florida's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I've never seen the delegation come together like they did on that project," Bean said of the trauma center. "I think you had a man in Dr. Haley whose presence was something special. The day before he died, he was still walking around vaccinating employees. He was just this incredible guy."

Haley joined UF Health Jacksonville as dean of the University of Florida College of Medicine-Jacksonville in January 2017. He was named the hospital's first Black chief executive officer the following year.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Florida Legislature backs $80 million for UF Health Jacksonville