Amber Peelz was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2012.
She spent a week in the Cancer Center at UF Health Shands Hospital and received three surgeries.
Peelz said caring staff helped her through the process, holding her hand as she was put under anesthesia before a surgery that would give her another chance at life.
Becker’s Hospital Review recently named Shands one of the best 100 hospitals in the country.
Only two other Florida hospitals made the list: Orlando’s Florida Hospital and Tampa General.
“Every time I stayed there it was amazing,” she said. “The staff there, the doctors knew what they were doing. Basically, they saved my life.”
Patients are flown to Shands from hospitals and counties throughout Florida, UF Health CEO Ed Jimenez said.
He said UF Health is able to put resources and funding into departments such as trauma, research, transplants and cancer.
“University hospitals tend to do things that other hospitals can’t,” he said.
Over the past ten years, U.S. News and Health recognized UF Health for seven adult specialties and seven pediatric specialties, and Forbes recognized it as one of 100 of America’s Best Employers.
This year, for the first time, Becker’s Hospital Review also recognized Shands as one of the top 150 places to work.
The medical journal listed the hospital’s burn center, Magnet designation for nursing excellence and neonatal intensive care unit as reasons for the recent top-100 designation.
The score is calculated based on what the hospitals offer compared to the actual outcome of a patient’s visit, said Dr. David Burchfield, the chief of neonatology for UF Health.
Miami Children’s Hospital is the only other facility in Florida with a level-four neonatal crisis center, meaning it can provide a wide range of emergency procedures for all pediatric ages, weights and health conditions, including premature infants.
Aside from its ability to provide services, UF Health received the award for its ability to provide enough staff and specialists to give patients a personal experience, Burchfield said.
Pediatrics has 16 nurses devoted entirely to the neonatal unit, he said. There are also surgeons, radiologists and students who come just to work in pediatrics.
Burchfield said the award is also about how resources are spent and how new research or clinical trials are performed.
He said it’s not any single thing that makes UF Health great, but all the pieces working together.
“We do a lot more than just taking care of patients,” he said.
Follow Jasmine on Twitter: @jawosmond
Email: josmond@alligator.org
