Wolfson Children’s to expand Nemours partnership March 1, 2026, as UF Health clinical collaboration concludes
A restructuring of pediatric specialty staffing and services at Jacksonville’s children’s hospital
Wolfson Children’s Hospital will expand its clinical partnership with Nemours Children’s Health beginning March 1, 2026, a change that also marks the end of most specialty clinical services previously provided through the UF College of Medicine–Jacksonville at Wolfson for decades. The transition affects how certain inpatient and hospital-based pediatric subspecialty services are staffed, while keeping Wolfson as the primary site for in-hospital and surgical pediatric care.
Wolfson and Nemours have worked together since 1987 in multiple pediatric specialties. Under the expanded agreement, Nemours physicians and advanced practice providers will be integrated into Wolfson’s care teams and will take on additional roles across several high-acuity and consult-heavy hospital services.
Which services are included in the expanded Nemours role
Starting in March 2026, Nemours is scheduled to provide additional specialty coverage at Wolfson Children’s Hospital across a defined set of areas. These include neonatal and newborn nursery services connected to Wolfson’s Neonatal Intensive Care Units and Baptist Health labor and delivery locations, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit critical care medicine, and additional surgical and medical subspecialties. Genetics services are slated to begin later in 2026.
- Neonatology and newborn nursery services tied to NICU care and labor and delivery units
- Pediatric intensive care (PICU) critical care medicine
- Neurosurgery
- Infectious diseases
- Rheumatology
- Nephrology
- Physical medicine and rehabilitation
- Palliative care
- Genetics (beginning August 2026)
Outpatient expansion and continuity of care questions
The planned changes also include the opening of additional Nemours outpatient clinics in the region, including sites intended for NICU follow-up and medically complex care. Wolfson and Nemours have described the model as a division of roles: Wolfson as the hospital base for inpatient and surgical care, with Nemours contributing specialty clinicians and broader pediatric subspecialty depth.
Beginning March 1, 2026, Nemours clinicians are expected to assume expanded specialty responsibilities while remaining integrated within Wolfson’s hospital care teams.
What ends with UF Health, and what remains
The shift concludes most specialty clinical collaboration between Wolfson and UF Health’s Jacksonville academic faculty physicians effective March 1, 2026, following a transition period through the first quarter of 2026. UF Health has stated its pediatric mission will continue through other sites, including its regional practices and affiliated facilities.
Wolfson has indicated it intends to continue serving as a primary pediatric teaching facility for the University of Florida College of Medicine even after clinical service responsibilities transition to Nemours for the affected specialties. Separately, Baptist Health and UF Health are expected to continue collaborating on select community health initiatives.
Why the change matters for families and the region
Operationally, the announcement signals a major realignment in who provides key pediatric subspecialty coverage within Jacksonville’s children’s hospital environment. For families, the most immediate impact is expected to be concentrated in specialty access, on-call coverage, and the provider groups managing inpatient consults and intensive care services as of March 2026, with additional outpatient capacity planned to roll out across the region afterward.
Wolfson and Nemours have characterized the expanded arrangement as an effort to increase the availability of specialized pediatric expertise locally, particularly for complex conditions requiring coordinated inpatient and outpatient management.