Tampa General Coronavirus Institute 1st Of Its Kind in Florida

TAMPA, FL — Tampa General Hospital is celebrating the opening of the new Taneja Family Global Emerging Diseases Institute, a standalone facility that will provide care for patients battling the coronavirus and other infectious diseases.

The new institute will also lead Florida in conducting research and education in infectious diseases. A special gift from the Taneja Family Foundation in Largo helped make opening the institute possible. The family owns Belcher Pharmaceuticals in Largo.

“It means a great deal to us to be able to give back to the Tampa Bay community and to help others. This has been a very difficult time for everyone, and we want to do our part to support Tampa General, whose clinical scientists will be conducting global research to provide answers and hope,” said Jugal Taneja. “We encourage others to give back and show support. These are heroes on the front lines.”

The Taneja Family Global Emerging Diseases Institute is a collaboration between Tampa General Hospital and the University of South Florida Health Morsani College of Medicine. A team of physician leaders from TGH and the Morsani College of Medicine will serve the institute, including inpatient clinical care, outpatient clinics, teaching and research.

The Hillsborough County Commission also unanimously approved $4.5 million in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act funding for the Tampa General Hospital standalone coronavirus unit.

The $8.2 million unit will contain 59 fully equipped ICU beds and up to 45 surge-readiness beds.

Under a three-year contract with TGH, the unit will also serve as an alternate care site during declared states of emergency.

In all the CARES Act will cover half of the $8.2 million estimated cost of renovating and equipping a building at Tampa General Hospital to treat coronavirus patients.

TGH also has agreed to provide up to 500 COVID-19 tests weekly for Hillsborough County employees and to buy two special units to facilitate mobile testing.

The arrangement received an endorsement from Dr. Douglas Holt, director of the Florida Department of Health's operations in Hillsborough County. In a letter to Hillsborough County Administrator Bonnie Wise, Holt called the center "an extremely valuable public health asset."

Dr. Charles Lockwood, Dean of USF's Morsani College of Medicine, and Dr. Kami Kim, Director of Morsani's Division of Infectious Diseases, and International Medicine, cosigned a letter supporting the deal. Tampa General is one of the primary teaching hospitals for the Morsani College of Medicine.

Dr. John Sinnott, TGH’s chief epidemiologist and chairman of internal medicine at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine will lead the institute.

Kim, director of infectious disease and international medicine at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine will oversee the institute’s future expanded laboratory space for infectious diseases research and education, providing an opportunity for medical experts to collaborate on groundbreaking research and clinical trials including vaccines and other lifesaving medical testing.

Additionally, Dr. Seetha Lakshmi will serve as the medical director of the infectious diseases service line. Lakshmi is an associate hospital epidemiologist at TGH and an assistant professor of infectious disease and international medicine at the the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

And Dr. Asa Oxner, vice chairman of the department of internal medicine at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, will lead the development of future infectious diseases/COVID-19 outpatient clinics and therapy programs.

“Tampa General has been a longstanding leader in diagnosing and treating infectious diseases, so this new facility is a great addition to our program that allows us to continue to meet the immediate challenge of COVID-19 and ensure that we have the capacity to deliver world-class care for every patient facing this disease,” said TGH President and CEO John Couris. “Thanks to the generous donation of the Taneja family, our clinical teams can continue to provide the best possible care for COVID-19 and other deadly infectious diseases and discover new treatments to face these threats in a fully equipped, dedicated facility on our campus.”

Since March, the hospital has treated more than 1,400 coronavirus patients, produced more than 120,000 coronavirus tests and currently has more than 30 clinical research trials underway.

Tampa General Hospital was also the first in Florida to offer monoclonal antibody treatments to COVID-19 patients and the only hospital in the Tampa Bay area – one of only five hospitals in the state – to receive the first round of the state’s COVID-19 vaccine pilot program.

“I’m honored to witness these clinical teams in action. TGH has been leading the way since the global pandemic started, continuing to deliver world-class care. I want to personally thank the Taneja family for the difference they are making in our community,” said Greg Celestan, chairman of the TGH Foundation Board.

“Our partnership with this incredible family means so much to TGH," said Frann Richards, senior vice president and chief development officer of the Tampa General Hospital Foundation. "We are immensely grateful to the Taneja family for their generosity, especially at such a critical time. The impact of this gift will be felt by our Tampa Bay community, the state of Florida and beyond.”

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