News & Events
At Brooks we welcome the opportunity to share some of our stories with the community. All of our employees, from direct caregivers to support staff, work very hard to make a difference in the lives of our patients. Often, the impact they have is amazing.
They Will Surf Again in Jacksonville Beach
More than two dozen individuals with physical disabilities had the opportunity to experience the ocean and to try their hand at surfing recently. They Will Surf Again (TWSA) is a no-cost program underwritten by Life Rolls On (LRO) and generous sponsors such as Brooks Rehabilitation. 
People of all ages who have a spinal cord injury or other mobility impairment gathered for a day of surfing. – Many of the participants are current and former Brooks patients. Some have not surfed since their injury, some have never surfed, some surf all the time. TWSA connects dozens of volunteers with a handful of injured surfers for a day of excitement, joy, and best of all, surf! On Saturday, May 10, more than 200 volunteers from several organizations were on hand to safely guide the surfers to shore. A wonderful time was had by all. Local sponsors of the event included: Brooks Adaptive Sports and Recreation Program, Sisters of the Sea, Jacksonville Christian Surfers Association and EPIC Surf Ministries To take part in future surf events or other weekly adaptive sports activities sponsored by the Brooks Adaptive Sports and Recreation Program contact Alice.Krauss@brookshealth.org or 904-910-9738.
Deliver the Dream Announces Jeans & Dreams Gala
Deliver the Dream, a not-for-profit retreat program serving Jacksonville families facing serious illness or crisis, will host its annual Jeans & Dreams Gala on Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 6:00 pm at the Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa in Ponte Vedra Beach. Tickets are currently available at $200 per person and all net proceeds will benefit Deliver the Dream's unique family retreat program.
This exciting evening of formal denim, dining, dancing, silent and live auctions, and live entertainment will kick-off with a cocktail reception and silent auction. Emceed by the voice of the Jacksonville Jaguars Brian Sexton and First Coast News anchor Angela Spears, the program with begin with Dinner at 7:30 p.m., followed by a live auction, dancing, and entertainment including comedian and musician Gary Mule Deer.
"Deliver the Dream's ability to help Jacksonville families living with a serious illness or crisis is undeniably dependant upon the generous support of the community members caring for one another," said Pat Moran, founder of Deliver the Dream.
Proceeds from the Jeans & Dreams Gala will be used for retreats for local Jacksonville families who are referred by Deliver the Dream's Jacksonville non-profit partners, including American Cancer Society, Brooks Rehabilitation of Jacksonville, National Multiple Sclerosis Society (North Florida Chapter), Nemours Children's Clinic, St. Vincent's Medical Center and Wolfson Children's Hospital.
Through consistent advocacy, stewardship and productive partnerships, Deliver the Dream delivers highly effective programs that enable those undergoing crisis or chronic illness to regain strength, mend spirits and become families and kids again. The generosity of Deliver the Dream's financial contributors, including corporate and community partners, allows families to attend a retreat free of charge. In addition, more than 600 volunteers and 16 national non-profit partners help make the work of Deliver the Dream possible. To date, more than 3,200 family participants have benefited from Deliver the Dream's retreat program.
For more information about Deliver the Dream, please visit www.deliverthedream.org.
Brooks Rehabilitation and the Jacksonville Jaguars Invite Kids to Play Smart! Stay Safe!
Brooks Rehabilitation and the Jacksonville Jaguars are teaming up to help children play safe and avoid head injuries. Together, they are hosting Play Smart! Stay Safe!, a free child safety event on May 3 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Jaguars' practice field. Kids ages 4-16 can get custom-fitted for a sports safety helmet. A suggested donation of $5 is appreciated and will support Mothers Against Brain Injury. There will be activities for parents, too, with demonstrations on how to properly install child car seats.
"It doesn't take much to have a serious brain injury that can permanently change a child's life," says Marion Anderson, executive director of community health for Brooks Rehabilitation. "In fact, a child slowly riding a bike and falling only two feet can incur a traumatic brain injury. This event will show kids and parents how to play safe."
The event will feature Jaguars player Mike Peterson, and Jaxson de Ville will make a special appearance from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Kids and parents can enjoy clowns, refreshments and other games.
"The Jacksonville Jaguars know first hand the importance of protective equipment and how it can help reduce injuries," said Macky Weaver, Jaguars executive director of corporate sponsorship. "We want to help kids understand that wearing a helmet is not just for the football field. It is the best protection kids can have when riding a bike, scooter or skating."
According to Safe Kids USA, almost half of all children hospitalized for bike-related injuries suffer from a serious brain injury, and almost 60 percent of bicycle related deaths result from head injuries. Although wearing a helmet is the easiest way to reduce head injuries, only about 15 to 25 percent of kids wear helmets when riding a bike.
If you're interested in attending Play Safe! Stay Smart!, call 858-7788 to reserve your spot.
Brooks Builds First Green Health Care Building in Jacksonville
Jacksonville-based, Brooks Rehabilitation is breaking ground on the first the first green building registered for LEED certification on a healthcare campus in Northeast Florida. The $14.8 million administration building will follow the nationally accepted benchmark: the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ -- for the design, construction and operation of the facility.
The nearly 47,000 square-foot building will serve as the corporate headquarters for the Brooks Health System's 143-bed Rehabilitation Hospital and its 24 outpatient clinics located from Southeast Georgia throughout Florida. Some of the environmental benefits of building green include improved air and water quality, and conserving natural resources. "While this project is very exciting for us as good stewards of our resources; we are even more excited about being able to move our administrative employees into a central location adjacent to the hospital," said Doug Baer, president and CEO of Brooks.
As the region's premier rehabilitation provider, Brooks has been responding to increased need for its services. The new administration building is one of three construction projects making up nearly $25-million-dollars worth of projects on the Brooks hospital campus. For the past several months the hospital has been undergoing an $8.7 million renovation to convert most patient rooms into private rooms. Brooks has also done an extensive $1.4 million renovation to its Health Care Plaza Outpatient Clinic located just a few blocks from the hospital. Because of all the construction, nearly 100 Brooks employees have been relocated. When the building is finished in July of 2009, they will all be in a central location, adjacent to the main hospital.
The team of Gresham Smith & Partners, Architects and Interior designers, McVeigh & Mangum's Engineers, Fickling Construction and representatives from Brooks have worked together throughout the design of the project to assure that goals and objectives of green design are met. In addition to office space, the four-floor facility will also feature a large training center for hospital employees and community events, and a new main visitor entry that will showcase Brooks and its community involvement.
Congratulations Brooks C.R.R.N.s! 
In honor of National Certified Rehabilitation Nursing Day, Brooks would like to thank all of our C.R.R.N.s. We are very proud to say that 45 of our 108 nurses have achieved C.R.R.N. status. That's nearly 50 percent! Certification in rehabilitation nursing shows employers, colleagues, patients, and the public that they are committed to excellence in caring for people with physical disabilities and chronic illnesses. It indicates that they are an experienced rehabilitation or restorative nurse who has achieved a level of knowledge in this practice area. Congratulations and thank you!
Brooks Adaptive Sports Program, Giddy up!
The Brooks Adaptive Sports Program recently visited the Palm Valley Ranch in Elkton, Florida. Six participants, five of which were in wheelchairs, had the opportunity to get in the saddle and ride a horse. The ranch even constructed a special ramp so that participants could transfer from their chairs to the saddle. Alice Krauss, Manager, Brooks Adaptive Sports Program was pleased with the day's event.
"If smiles are any indication, the day was a huge success. We hope to make this a regular event," said Krauss.
Learn more about the Brooks Adaptive Sports Program.
Brooks makes $16.5 million donation to First Coast YMCA
Brooks Rehabilitation is donating its 60,000 square foot Brooks Health and Fitness Center to the YMCA - one of the First Coast's largest community service organizations. The donation, worth over $16.5 million and the largest donation ever made to the First Coast YMCA, provides the basis for an exciting expansion of Brooks and YMCA programs and services throughout the community. Effective immediately, the facility will be renamed the "Brooks Family YMCA".
After 35 years as the region's only hospital-based rehabilitation provider, Brooks has expanded its scope of services to include prevention of disabling conditions to services for those with disabilities who have returned home. "In order to have the greatest impact on the health and wellness of the broader community, we determined that a gift to the YMCA with its existing network of 18 facilities and 65 program locations would best accomplish our goal," said Brooks president and CEO, Doug Baer. "We share a vision to make Jacksonville the healthiest city in the United States. This donation allows us to expand our vital programs such as Adaptive Sports, wellness, and injury prevention in multiple YMCA's."
Brooks and the YMCA will strive to build a coalition of local partners and healthcare providers to collaborate on an ambitious effort to improve the health of our community through healthy living and weight reduction programs. Brooks and the YMCA have a goal to serve more than 10,000 residents with clinically proven and outcome-based programs within three years, many of whom may not otherwise have access to wellness services.
The gift follows in the tracks of other major donations made by Brooks Rehabilitation. This fall Brooks reached a research agreement with the University of Florida and the College of Medicine-Jacksonville resulting in a $4 million donation to fund rehabilitation research at the Brooks Center for Rehabilitation Studies. In 2006, Brooks donated a total of $2.5 million to five area acute-care hospitals. And Brooks has donated $5.3 million to the UNF College of Health to advance the education of healthcare professionals in our region. In honor of this gift, it is now called the Brooks College of Health.
"We are so appreciative to Brooks for this tremendous gift, which will help us contribute to building strong kids, strong families and strong communities," said Paul McEntire, interim CEO of the YMCA of Florida's First Coast. "The YMCA's strengths are the people we bring together, the local community needs we meet, and the variety of ways we can make our community a healthier, safer better place to live - this gift helps us accomplish all of these goals in even bigger and better ways."
This gift will be leveraged by the YMCA for future fundraising. It also provides funds to expand healthy living, injury prevention, and Adaptive Sports programs throughout the First Coast YMCA and the broader community.
Brooks and the University of Florida Reach Research Agreement
Brooks Rehabilitation and the University of Florida have reached a new five-year agreement that will position the Brooks Center for Rehabilitation Studies, in collaboration with UF, as a world-class research facility.
The agreement increases funding for the Brooks Center by more than $5 million over five years. As part of its Community Benefit initiative, Brooks will provide $4 million in funding and UF, through its Health Science Center colleges, will provide more than $1 million. The funding will be used to support research taking place in both Brooks' and UF facilities.
"We are pleased to further develop our relationship with the University of Florida and look forward to the increased research capabilities we will share," said Brooks CEO & president, Doug Baer. "Our investment in the Center's growth will bring the latest innovations to our patients."
Robert C. Nuss, M.D., dean of the regional campus at the UF Health Science Center-Jacksonville, cited the excellent opportunity the expanded relationship offers Brooks and UF. "The benefits are tremendous for both parties, with the Center's research projects focusing primarily on stroke and other neurological conditions, relating to the population served by both Brooks and UF," he said. "In addition, this arrangement provides an excellent opportunity for us to maximize collaboration between our own Gainesville and Jacksonville campuses."
The agreement will result in the addition of six dedicated, doctoral-level researchers and support staff working at the Brooks Center and at UF Health Science Center-Jacksonville. Now that the agreement is finalized, the search for a full-time Brooks Center director will begin.
The Center's mission and vision include a focus on research and improvement of the continuum of care, leading to optimal outcomes and functional improvements for its patients. More than 20 active research trials are currently under way at the Brooks Center for Rehabilitation Studies, including 10 stroke-related studies. With this new agreement, Brooks is poised to become a major research entity, and to serve its community through this partnership.
Brooks Welcomes Sarala Srinivasa, M.D. to Brooks Rehabilitation Specialists
Sarala Srinivasa, M.D. recently joined Brooks Rehabilitation Specialists as a physician. Dr. Srinivasa comes to Brooks from private practice in Jacksonville. She is currently the Vice President of the Medical Staff of Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital and previously served as the Brooks Medical Director, Stroke Services in 2005 and early 2006.
Prior to coming to Jacksonville in 2002, Dr. Srinivasa served as the Medical Director, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Forest Park Hospital in St. Louis from 1999 to 2002. She has also served in multiple assignments as a Physiatrist since she began her practice in 1985.
Dr. Srinivasa is board certified by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and is a member of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. She maintains admitting privileges at Brooks and Shands hospitals as well as consulting privileges at Memorial, Specialty, St. Luke's and St. Vincent's hospitals.
All of us at Brooks are excited to have her join the practice. Dr. Srinivasa will care for a variety of patients across multiple programs.