Tampa General Hospital Foundation Announces Transformative Gift to Create a New Hybrid Operating Room

The Jenkins Charitable Foundation donation to Tampa General will help to create a new space for complex vascular surgeries.

TAMPA, Fla., Aug. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Tampa General Hospital (TGH) Foundation received a transformational gift from the Jenkins Charitable Foundation to fund a new hybrid operating room at Tampa General. 

The gift will bring to fruition another space at the academic medical center on Davis Islands that integrates a state-of-the-art surgical environment with the advanced imaging capabilities of an interventional suite, a critical combination for performing highly complex vascular surgeries. The cost to build the new hybrid operating room is just under $10 million. 

"This exceptional gift will elevate the already world-class care available to our patients at Tampa General," said John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General Hospital. "Donors like the Jenkins family truly understand the spirit of innovation and the mission of caring for everyone in the most advanced way possible." 

The Jenkins Family Hybrid Operating Room will be the second of its kind at Tampa General, with more planned for the Taneja Surgical, Neuroscience & Transplant Tower currently under construction on the Davis Islands campus. 

"This hybrid operating room is a game-changer for patients with complex vascular disease," said Dr. Jean Bismuth, chief of Vascular Surgery and medical director of the TGH Heart & Vascular Institute. "It streamlines care, promises to improve outcomes and elevates the standard of vascular treatment for the entire Tampa Bay community we proudly serve. We are truly grateful for the opportunity to bring this level of care to our patients."

For Steve and Carole Jenkins and their children, Laura and Stephen, the donation from their family foundation is a way to honor their backgrounds in science and technology. The Jenkins family has called Tampa home for five generations. In 1957, Steve's father, Richard B. Jenkins, launched Beach Pharmaceuticals from his home with his wife and children. Since then, three generations have been involved in pharmaceutical development, manufacturing and sales.

"As our beautiful city continues to grow, it is our hope to help TGH provide access to cutting-edge care in the community," said Steve Jenkins. "Our family has witnessed the quality services provided by Tampa General, and it is our desire to help ensure that TGH has the necessary tools to attract the best leaders, researchers and physicians in their fields. We are honored to be able to contribute to the ongoing success of Tampa General."

The gift, part of the TGH Foundation's Elevating Excellence: Innovating Tomorrow's TGH campaign, means that this advanced care will be available to patients sooner. 

"Tampa General is profoundly grateful to the Jenkins family for their visionary giving and investment in world-class health care in our community," said Frann Leppla, executive vice president and chief philanthropy officer at Tampa General. "It's a beautiful and humbling thing to see the amazing results made possible with a gift of this magnitude."

ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL
Tampa General Hospital, a 1,529-bed, not-for-profit academic health system, is one of the largest hospitals in America and delivers world-class care as the Tampa Bay region's only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care. The system's hospitals include Tampa General Hospital, Tampa General Rehabilitation Hospital, Tampa General Behavioral Health Hospital, all in Tampa; Tampa General Brooksville, Tampa General Spring Hill and Tampa General Crystal River. Tampa General Hospital is the highest-ranked hospital in Tampa Bay in U.S. News & World Report's 2024-2025 Best Hospitals, with two medical specialties ranking among the top 20 in the nation and eight medical specialties listed among the top 50 best hospital programs in the United States. As the first hospital in Florida to open a clinical command center for real-time situational awareness, Tampa General has elevated its digital care coordination center to the next level by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and its analytics platform across inpatient and outpatient care to ensure patients receive leading-edge care as quickly and safely as possible. The academic health system's commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by three prestigious Forbes magazine rankings — in the 2025 America's Best Large Employers, the top 50 in Florida in the 2024 America's Best Employers by State and the 2023 America's Best Employers for Women.

Tampa General is the safety-net hospital for the region, caring for anyone regardless of ability to pay; in fiscal year 2023, Tampa General provided a net community benefit of approximately $301.8 million in the form of health care for underinsured patients, community education and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It was the nation's No. 1 adult solid organ transplant center in 2024 and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With five medical helicopters, Tampa General transports critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care their conditions require. Tampa General is home to a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center and its 32-bed Neuroscience, Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It is home to the Muma Children's Hospital at TGH, the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed neonatal intensive care unit and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General's footprint includes TGH North, which consists of three hospitals and several outpatient locations in Citrus and Hernando counties; 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices; TGH Family Care Center Kennedy; two TGH outpatient centers; TGH Virtual Health; and 19 TGH Imaging outpatient radiology centers throughout Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Tampa Bay area residents receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care, powered by the Fast Track network of clinics. To see a medical care professional live anytime, anywhere on a smartphone, tablet or computer, visit Virtual Health | Tampa General Hospital (tgh.org). For more information, go to www.tgh.org.

Media Contact: Beth Hardy, APR
Assistant Manager
Publications & Physician Communications
(727) 510-6363 (cell)
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SOURCE Tampa General Hospital