USF receives $25M gift from Tampa General Hospital to support USF Athletics District

Investment will name the USF Athletics District and the Tampa General Hospital Center for Athletic Excellence which will feature key space for clinical behavioral health services.

TAMPA, Fla., Sept. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of South Florida (USF) and Tampa General Hospital (TGH) announced today a $25 million gift from TGH to name the Center for Athletic Excellence, an operations facility that will be included as part of USF's new on-campus stadium project and will feature dedicated clinical space for TGH. The gift will also name the university's athletics district.

"We are incredibly grateful to Tampa General Hospital for this historic gift and for their phenomenal partnership with USF that goes back decades," said USF President Rhea Law. "This investment in our students, our university and our community will have far-reaching positive impacts for generations to come."

The Tampa General Hospital Center for Athletic Excellence will be located adjacent to the stadium and feature clinical space, where TGH will provide behavioral health services, including assessments, treatment, therapies, career mentoring and more. The clinical space will benefit from research conducted in partnership with USF Health, and the services offered at the new location will be uniquely geared to support the needs of both the USF community and the broader Tampa Bay region.

"As one of the nation's leading academic and research health systems, we are committed to strengthening our community," said John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General Hospital. "We recognize the growing demand for behavioral health services in our region, and particularly around the USF campus. That's why we're doubling down on our partnership with the University of South Florida to expand access to care and support."

This new investment from TGH, the largest gift ever to USF Athletics, deepens the partnership of two industry leaders. TGH and USF have supported one another for more than 50 years.

"USF's trajectory was already stellar, especially after our recent invitation to join the Association of American Universities, and it is even higher today," said USF Board of Trustees Chair Will Weatherford. "For TGH, a national leader in health care and pillar of our community, to show this commitment to our university is truly special."

The Tampa General Hospital Center for Athletic Excellence will also provide space to support USF's talented student-athletes and serve as the daily home for the football and women's lacrosse teams. It will feature state-of-the-art locker rooms, sports medicine and treatment spaces, strength and conditioning rooms, coaches' offices, training rooms, nutrition spaces and hydrotherapy pools for optimal performance and recovery.

The new on-campus stadium was approved by the USF Board of Trustees in June 2023 and is expected to open in 2026. USF Foundation CEO Jay Stroman and Vice President of Athletics Michael Kelly serve as the project's planning committee co-chairs.

"This is another great day to be a Bull," said Stroman and Kelly. "The new on-campus stadium and its Center for Athletic Excellence will elevate the landscape of our entire Tampa General Hospital Athletics District. We are grateful to John Couris and his entire TGH team for their significant investment in USF's ascension to new heights of excellence in academics, health care and athletics."

More information about the USF on-campus stadium is available here.

ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL
Tampa General Hospital, a 1,040-bed, not-for-profit, academic health system, is one of the largest hospitals in America and delivers world-class care as the region's only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care. Tampa General Hospital is the highest-ranked hospital in the market in U.S. News and World Report's 2023-24 Best Hospitals, with six specialties ranking among the top 50 best hospital programs in the United States. Tampa General Hospital has been designated as a model of excellence by the 2022 Fortune/Merative 100 Top Hospitals list. The academic health system's commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by two prestigious Forbes magazine rankings – in the top 100 nationally in the 2023 America's Best Employers for Women and top 25 in Florida in the 2023 America's Best Employers by State. Tampa General is the safety net hospital for the region, caring for everyone regardless of their ability to pay, and in fiscal year 2021, provided a net community benefit worth more than $224.5 million in the form of health care for underinsured patients, community education, and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It is one of the nation's busiest adult solid organ transplant centers and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With six medical helicopters, Tampa General Hospital transports critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care they need. Tampa General houses a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center, and its 32-bed Neuroscience, Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It also is home to the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed neonatal intensive care unit, and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General Hospital's footprint includes 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, TGH Outpatient Center, TGH Virtual Health, and 21 TGH Imaging outpatient radiology centers throughout Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Tampa Bay area residents also receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care powered by 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).  As one of the largest hospitals in the country, Tampa General Hospital is the first in Florida to partner with GE Healthcare and open a clinical command center that provides real-time situational awareness to improve and better coordinate patient care at a lower cost. For more information, go to www.tgh.org.

About the University of South Florida
The University of South Florida, a high-impact research university dedicated to student success and committed to community engagement, generates an annual economic impact of more than $6 billion. With campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee, USF serves approximately 50,000 students who represent nearly 150 different countries. For four consecutive years, U.S. News & World Report has ranked USF as one of the nation's top 50 public universities, including USF's highest ranking ever in 2023 (No. 42). In 2023, USF became the first public university in Florida in nearly 40 years to be invited to join the Association of American Universities, a prestigious group of the leading universities in the United States and Canada. Through hundreds of millions of dollars in research activity each year and as one of top universities in the world for securing new patents, USF is a leader in solving global problems and improving lives. USF is a member of the American Athletic Conference. Learn more at www.usf.edu.

About the USF Foundation
The USF Foundation connects the university with donors who want to make a difference by providing private, philanthropic support to promote student success, academic initiatives, research, and other strategic priorities of the University of South Florida. Our donors celebrate the energy, vision, and future of one of the country's most exciting and engaged universities. Our people and programs, our ideas, our research, and our solutions comprise an ambitious plan to enhance healthcare, science, technology, education, business, the arts and global partnerships. Learn more at www.giving.usf.edu.

SOURCE Tampa General Hospital