Alachua County is home to a world-class medical community. The area supports six hospitals with more than 1,800 beds, including the Gainesville Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Columbia North Florida Regional Medical Center, and SHANDS Healthcare System. An estimated 2,000 doctors and 135 dentists work in patient care, research, service and education positions at area health-care facilities.

Gainesville Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Gainesville’s Veterans Affair Medical Center is a five-story, 480-bed hospital dedicated to the treatment of veteran patients.
Located across from the University of Florida Health Science Center on Archer Road, the hospital is a general medical, surgical and psychiatric facility that provides primary, secondary, and tertiary care of veterans in North Florida and South Georgia. Twenty-five different medical specialties are represented on the staff and extensive research is carried out in cancer, cardiology, alcoholism, psycho-physiology, nuclear medicine and ophthalmology.
The Gainesville VA Medical Center is one of the most active hospitals in the Department of Veterans Affairs, caring for more than 10,000 veterans each year. The hospital totals more than 130,000 out-patient visits each year.
The hospital is affiliated with the University of Florida’s J. Hillis Miller Health Science Center which aids the VA in providing superior medical care to area veterans. Most members of the medical center staff also hold faculty appointments in Health Science Center colleges.

North Florida Regional Medical Center
Columbia North Florida Regional Medical Center, a flagship hospital for Columbia Healthcare, is located on Newberry Road across from the Oaks Mall in Gainesville.
The medical center consists of a 267-bed, full service medical and surgical acute care center offering comprehensive heart care, cancer care, women’s health, diabetes treatment and neuro-musculoskeletal services.
The hospital is the hub of Columbia’s North Central Florida Healthcare System, a network that includes hospitals, outpatient centers, home health services and other health care providers.
In both 1994 and 1995, North Florida Regional Medical Center was chosen as one of the Top 100 Hospitals in America according to an annual study of nearly 4,000 hospitals by HCIA Inc. and Mercer Management Consulting.
The women’s Center is a unique, one-stop resource for all women’s and family health needs. This 100,000 square foot facility features same-day surgery, a diagnostic center, physicians offices and an 18-bed LDRP Maternity Unit that was recently named one of the top ten in the nation by Child magazine.
Its Cardiovascular Emergency Center is a leader in cardiac catheterization, angioplasty, open heart surgery and other cardiovascular services.
The hospital’s Cancer Center offers a full treatment program and an extensive educational program.
Fitness and wellness programs and lifestyle modification courses are administered by health professionals through the hospital’s Achievement Center.
Shands Health Care System
The SHANDS healthcare system encompasses five acute care hospitals, two specialty hospitals and the largest not-for-profit home care company in the Southeast. The SHANDS system includes several Alachua County hospitals and health-care facilities including SHANDS at the University of Florida, SHANDS at AGH, Upreach Rehabilitation Hospital, SHANDS at Vista, SHANDS HomeCare and SHANDS Children’s Hospital at the University of Florida.

SHANDS at UF
Since its opening in 1958, SHANDS at the University of Florida has had many medical “firsts”, including Florida’s first open heart surgery in 1959 and the first organ transplants in the 1960’s.
The 576-bed private, not-for-profit hospital has become one of the most comprehensive hospitals in the Southeast, specializing in tertiary care for critically ill patients. The hospital’s 142 intensive care beds represent the highest ratio of intensive care to acute care beds in the state.
SHANDS at UF was recognized as one of the top 88 hospitals in the United States and Canada in the most recent (1995) edition of “ The Best Hospitals in America.” SHANDS at UF was also recognized as one of “America’s Best Hospitals” in the August 1996 issue of “ US News & World Report”, ranking among the top ten in the area of orthopaedics, gastroenterology, neurology, cancer and endocrinology.

SHANDS at AGH
SHANDS at AGH is a full-service, not-for-profit health center located midway between the University of Florida campus and downtown Gainesville.
Gainesville’s first hospital, SHANDS at AGH, opened its doors in 1928 and has been a major provider of health services for 69 years. Today, it provides a wide range of services with 300 medical staff members representing 32 specialties.
To meet the growing needs of the area, centers of excellence have been established in heart care, cancer care, women’s health, neonatology and emergency medicine.
Other special services include the HeartCare Center, specialized treatment rooms for trauma and orthopaedics in the Emergency Department, one-day surgery from DayStay, and TEL-MED-a library of tape-recorded messages.

Upreach Rehabilitation Hospital
Founded in 1987, UpReach Rehabilitation Hospital is a 40-bed facility in Gainesville designed to provide comprehensive inpatient medical rehabilitation services. Services provided at UpReach include physical medicine, psychology, vocational rehab, driver evaluation and occupational, physical, recreational and speech therapy.

SHANDS at Vista
SHANDS at Vista, also built in 1987, is an 83-bed mental health hospital in Gainesville that provides a variety of inpatient and outpatient mental health programs. Treatment is offered for individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, family conflict, substance abuse and psychosis.
University of Florida Health Science Center

The University of Florida Health Science Center is the Southeast’s most comprehensive academic health center, encompassing six health-related colleges and a statewide network of community clinics and health educational programs.

As a site of continued growth since its opening in 1956, the Health Science Center has attained national recognition in patient care services, research and education related to the brain, cancer, diabetes, drug design, genetics and organ transplantation.

Health Science Center faculty is the colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Dentistry, Health-Related Professions and Veterinary Medicine are making significant contributions to health care while supplying the nation with trained health professionals.