July 23, 2026 – Dr. Mehmet Oz, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, visited Tampa General Hospital (TGH) to see the academic health system’s nationally-recognized food service model, delivering fresh, nutrient dense meals to patients.
Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, visits Tampa General Hospital on July 23, 2026, in Tampa, Florida. During the visit, Oz toured the academic health system’s nationally recognized Food is Medicine program, met with food service and clinical team members, participated in a tasting of patient meals developed in partnership with Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, and toured Tampa General’s Care Coordination Center (C3), where advanced technology, artificial intelligence and clinical expertise help optimize patient care and outcomes.
Tampa General’s world-class menu was developed in partnership with Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian and in collaboration with Dr. Tanuja Sharma, TGH Medical Director of Integrative Medicine and Arts. It is inspired by the Mediterranean diet, rooted in science and crafted for flavor, balance and recovery.
The menu is part of Tampa General’s Food is Medicine initiative, which prioritizes nutritious foods to accelerate healing and promote health and wellness.
Dr. Oz’s visit comes on the heels of a visit from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins last week. Tampa General is the first hospital in the nation to sign the ‘Make Hospital Food Healthy Again’ pledge, cementing its commitment to put nutrition at the core of care.
Event Highlights Included:
- A menu tasting of Chef Geoffrey Zakarian’s menu, available to patients at Tampa General’s Davis Islands campus
- A visit with the kitchen staff, dietitian and food service coordinators who maintain Tampa General’s food-as-medicine-focused approach in day-to-day operations
- A tour of the Care Coordination Center (C3), a state-of-the-art facility where cutting edge technology, artificial intelligence and clinical expertise converge to optimize patient care and improve patient outcomes.
Photos and high-resolution video from the event are available for media use. They can be viewed at: https://mediashare.tgh.org/dr-oz-visits-tgh. Credit should be given to Tampa General Hospital.
ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL
Tampa General Hospital, Florida’s premier academic health system, is a 1,530-bed not-for-profit network of hospital and outpatient services spanning Florida. As the only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care center serving 23 counties, Tampa General delivers world-class 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 is the highest-ranked hospital in Tampa Bay in U.S. News & World Report’s 2025-2026 Best Hospitals, with six medical specialties ranking among the top 50 in the nation and five additional medical specialties ranked among the top 10% best hospital programs in the United States. As the first hospital in Florida to open a clinical command center for real-time situational awareness, the academic health system 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. Tampa General’s commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by three prestigious Forbes magazine rankings — in the 2026 America’s Best Large Employers ranked as the Tampa Bay region’s #1 employer in the healthcare category for the sixth year in a row, and among the top five in the state of Florida, in the 2025 Best Employers by State and the 2023 America’s Best Employers for Women.
Tampa General is the area’s safety-net hospital, caring for anyone regardless of ability to pay; in fiscal year 2024, Tampa General provided a net community benefit of approximately $289.1 million in the form of healthcare for underinsured patients, community education and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It is recognized as one of the leading adult solid organ transplant centers in the nation 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 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care their conditions require. Tampa General has 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 20 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.
