JAX Chamber: Stellar Helps Make New UF Health Jacksonville Incident Command Center A Reality

Press release from the JAX Chamber:

November 10, 2021

Stellar, a fully integrated design, engineering, construction, and mechanical services firm, is a long-time partner and supporter of UF Health Jacksonville. The $150,000 donation from the Stellar Foundation helped UF Health Jacksonville to relocate the command center to a more expansive, secure and functional space with improved technology and communication capabilities. Stellar crews also provided on-site assistance with renovating the new space.

“When disaster strikes, every second counts, and it’s critical that the disaster response team has the best resources to properly respond to a situation," said Dr. David Caro, emergency medicine physician and Disaster Medical Officer at UF Health Jacksonville. "Thanks to The Stellar Foundation, the new Hospital Incident Command Center will help the team to quickly and appropriately react to a situation and provide the best care for the community and hospital patients.”

The UF Health Jacksonville Hospital Incident Command Center upgrade was on the minds of hospital leaders long before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the center has been utilized extensively ever since, further proving the need for an improved space. The project was a passion of the late Dr. Leon Haley Jr., who served as CEO from 2018 until his passing in July 2021.

The Hospital Incident Command Center, which was formerly located in the administrative suite at the downtown campus, is now located in the campus basement. The repurposed space was an old training area and is larger than what the incident command team had before. The new facility includes upgraded meeting rooms, multi-functional workstations, updated technology infrastructure, and communication tools that allow emergency personnel to better react and respond to a crisis. The team can also meet virtually with decision-makers at the health system's other campuses and communicate with local and federal emergency operation centers, as needed.

“Communication is the key,” said Jennifer Silvey-Cason, Emergency Preparedness Manager for UF Health Jacksonville. “I know that may sound cliché, but it’s huge. Emergency operations centers and federal partners need to know what’s going on with us and what our needs are to stay afloat during any sort of disaster incident. With this new incident command center, we can now do that better than ever before.”

About UF Health Jacksonville

UF Health Jacksonville is a private, not-for-profit hospital affiliated with the University of Florida Health Science Center campuses in Jacksonville and Gainesville. In Jacksonville, UF Health includes University of Florida faculty, residents and fellows within the UF College of Medicine-Jacksonville, who team up with outstanding caregivers and other employees to provide state-of-the-art services to residents throughout northeast Florida and southeast Georgia. This academic medical center’s mission is to heal, comfort and educate in an environment where exemplary medical care is complemented by outstanding service. 

About Stellar 

Stellar is a fully integrated design, engineering, construction, refrigeration and mechanical services firm that provides the industry’s most comprehensive range of self-performed services, including planning, design, pre-construction, construction, refrigeration, mechanical and utility, building envelope, and total operations and maintenance services. More than 800 Stellar employees worldwide design, build and maintain award-winning food processing plants, refrigerated warehouses, distribution centers, commercial buildings and military facilities. In addition to its Jacksonville, Florida, headquarters, Stellar operates support locations and offices throughout the United States. Stellar also serves Central and South America, Europe and India. For more information, visit stellar.net.

This press release was produced by the JAX Chamber. The views expressed here are the author’s own.