Drone delivery will cut average blood transport times to under three minutes across a 70-square-mile coverage area in Hillsborough County.

August 3, 2026 – Tampa General Hospital (TGH) today announced the launch of the nation’s first EMS-driven drone delivery program for pre-hospital whole blood delivery. The initiative will decrease the amount of time needed to deliver lifesaving blood directly to the scene of traumatic injuries, offering patients a better chance at survival.

The program, developed in partnership with Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, University of South Florida (USF) Health Morsani College of Medicine, Florida Center for Emergency Medical Services (EMS), OneBlood and Archer First Response System’s emergency drone logistics infrastructure positions Tampa Bay at the forefront of innovation in trauma and emergency medicine. When patients are hemorrhaging, every minute without blood drastically decreases chances of survival.

“As Florida’s premiere academic health system and a world-class Level I trauma center, Tampa General offers patients in crisis the best chances at the best possible outcome. But we refuse to settle for the status quo, which is why we invest in the latest technologies and pursue innovative solutions to reach patients faster with the equipment and care they need,” said John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General | Florida Health Sciences Center. “The adoption of drone technology positions Tampa General and our partners at the forefront of innovative, world-class care, improving both access and patient outcomes.”

“The golden hour of trauma care has always started at the hospital door until now. This program puts whole blood directly into the hands of first responders before a patient ever reaches us, moving that critical window to the scene of the emergency itself. I’m grateful to our partners at Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, USF Health and OneBlood. Together with ArcherFRS, we’re not just improving emergency response in Tampa Bay, we are redefining what is possible in trauma care nationwide.” said Michele Moran, senior vice president for emergency services at Tampa General.

The emergency drone logistics systems and services are provided by Archer First Response Systems and operated by Hillsborough County Fire Rescue.  When a 9-1-1 call involves an incident with severe blood loss, dispatch will direct emergency responders to the scene who can simultaneously call for deployment of a drone equipped with whole blood. The two drone systems are expected to cover a combined 70-square-mile area, delivering the lifesaving blood to the scene in under three minutes on average. First responders can begin transfusions, if needed, immediately on scene, well before the patient arrives at the hospital.

“Our crews are often first at the scene of an accident. This program puts an essential, lifesaving resource directly in our hands at the scene, giving our first responders more tools to improve the chances of survival of a patient in crisis. It is a game changer for our first responders and, more importantly, for the families we serve,” said Chief Todd Carnell, rescue division chief of Hillsborough County Fire Rescue.

“In traumas with hemorrhaging, every minute matters. Faster access to whole blood is a major predictor of a patient’s likelihood of survival. By delivering whole blood faster and easier than ever, we are fundamentally changing what is possible for patient outcomes, and the landscape of innovation in emergency medicine as a whole,” said Dr. Jason Wilson, chief of emergency medicine at Tampa General Hospital and founding chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

“We are thrilled to be collaborating with both TGH and Hillsborough County to bring this life saving capability to the area and contributing to decreased response times, improved outcomes, and more lives saved.” said Gordon Folkes, CEO of Archer FRS.

The program will be implemented at two Hillsborough County Fire Rescue stations, Station 9 in the Faulkenburg/Sabal Park area and Station 37 in Riverview, which serve the areas of the county with the highest volume of penetrating trauma and hemorrhagic injuries. The intent of the program is to expand the capacity and coverage area over time, benefitting from the early data and findings from the pilot area program.

The technology is scheduled to come online in October 2026, subject to approval by the Hillsborough County Commission. The Board of County Commissioners is scheduled to convene on the matter on Sept. 2.

 

ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL 

Tampa General Hospital, the Tampa Bay region’s only academic health system, is a 1,530-bed not-for-profit network of hospital and outpatient services spanning across 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 2025 America’s Best Large Employers, ranked as the Tampa Bay region’s #1 employer in the health care category for the fifth 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 health care for underinsured patients, community education and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It is recognized as one of the 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.

ABOUT USF HEALTH

USF Health’s mission is to envision and implement the future of health. It is the partnership of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Public Health, the Taneja College of Pharmacy, the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, the Biomedical Sciences Graduate and Postdoctoral Programs, and USF Health’s multispecialty physicians’ group. 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. Through hundreds of millions of dollars in research activity each year, USF is a leader in solving global problems and improving lives. For more information, visit health.usf.edu.



Pablo Rengifo-Moreno, M.D. and the Broward Health North team that completed first Patent Foramen Ovale closure procedure utilizing the GORE® CARDIOFORM Septal Occluder

This Milestone Marks an Expansion of Advanced Structural Heart Therapies Available to Residents in Broward County

AUGUST 3, 2026 – Broward Health North has successfully completed its first Patent Foramen Ovale closure procedure utilizing the GORE® CARDIOFORM Septal Occluder, marking a significant advancement in the hospital’s cardiovascular care capabilities. The minimally invasive procedure was led by Pablo Rengifo-Moreno, M.D., director of the structural heart disease program at Broward Health.

A patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a small opening between the upper chambers of the heart that normally closes after birth. The condition affects one in four adults, and while most people experience no symptoms, the opening can allow blood clots to travel to the brain and cause a stroke.

The PFO closure procedure is a minimally invasive option that guides a thin catheter through a vein in the leg to the heart where a small device can seal the opening without requiring open-heart surgery. In carefully selected patients, the procedure is highly effective at reducing recurrent stroke risk, with most patients returning to normal activities within a week.

“For patients who have experienced a stroke with no clear cause, PFO closure offers a proven solution to prevent future events,” said Dr. Rengifo. “Now that we can offer this procedure at Broward Health North, our patients no longer need to travel elsewhere to access this life-changing intervention.”

The successful procedure was made possible through the collaborative efforts of a dedicated multidisciplinary team at Broward Health North. This achievement reflects the system’s continued commitment to bringing cutting-edge cardiovascular technology and the latest minimally invasive therapies closer to home.

“Milestones like this are only achieved through the commitment of our entire team focused on delivering exceptional patient care,” said Jenna Merlucci, vice president of heart and vascular services at Broward Health. “Together, we continue to advance cardiovascular care and improve outcomes for the patients we serve.”

For more information about Broward Health’s cardiac resources, visit BrowardHealth.org/Heart.

About Broward Health

Broward Health, founded in 1938 and headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, ranks among the 10 largest public healthcare systems in the United States. Nationally recognized for its focus on high-quality care for the residents of Broward County and beyond, Broward Health boasts four hospitals, two trauma centers, was the county’s first statutory teaching hospital and has an ever-growing graduate medical education program. It includes more than 50 health centers and physician practices covering virtually every healthcare specialty.

Broward Health never stops working toward its mission of Exceptional Care, Extraordinary Compassion and Everyday Excellence. Driven by more than 11,000 talented employees and physicians who deliver care to all patients, regardless of their ability to pay, Broward Health is one of the largest employers in Broward County with an operating budget of over $2 billion and annually provides over $554 million in charity and uncompensated care.

For more information about Broward Health, visit BrowardHealth.org.

 



August 3, 2026– Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center is the first hospital in northern Palm Beach County to perform a thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair using the GORE® EXCLUDER® Thoracoabdominal Branch Endoprosthesis (TAMBE). The groundbreaking procedure was performed by vascular surgeons Dr. Lauren Huntress and Dr. Joseph Savarese, on staff at the hospital and part of Prime Vascular Institute, bringing a new treatment option to patients with some of the most complex forms of aortic aneurysm disease.

The TAMBE device is the first FDA-approved, off-the-shelf endovascular repair solution specifically designed to treat complex aneurysms involving the visceral aorta. It provides a minimally invasive alternative to traditional open surgery for patients with thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms and certain high-risk patients with pararenal aortic aneurysms.

“This milestone reflects our commitment to providing patients access to the latest advances in cardiovascular and vascular care,” said Erik Cazares, CEO of Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center. “Being the first hospital in northern Palm Beach County to offer this innovative procedure demonstrates the expertise of our physicians and care teams, while allowing patients to receive highly specialized treatment close to home.”

Thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms are among the most challenging vascular conditions to treat because they affect the section of the aorta that supplies blood to vital organs. Historically, many patients required extensive open surgery to address these aneurysms. The TAMBE device enables physicians to repair these complex aneurysms through a minimally invasive endovascular approach, which may reduce recovery time and help improve patient outcomes.

According to the manufacturer, TAMBE is the only on-label device designed to address the complex anatomical challenges associated with thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms and certain high-risk pararenal aortic aneurysms. The device was developed to provide a standardized, readily available treatment option for patients requiring complex aortic repair.

Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center continues to expand access to leading-edge cardiovascular and vascular treatments, offering patients innovative technologies and procedures that help improve outcomes and quality of life throughout the region.

 

About Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center

Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center (PBGMC), part of the Palm Beach Health Network, the largest health care network in Palm Beach County, is a 199-bed acute care hospital.  It has served the Palm Beach County and Treasure Coast communities for over 50 years. The hospital was the first in Palm Beach County to perform open-heart surgery and has remained on the forefront as one of the area’s leaders in cardiac care. PBGMC also offers award winning stroke care, neurosurgery, urology, orthopedics, robot assisted and minimally invasive surgical techniques, bloodless medicine and a 24-hour emergency room. For more information, visit: www.palmbeachhealthnetwork.com.



New outpatient center brings together community physicians and NCH surgeons to deliver minimally invasive robotic surgery using the latest da Vinci Robotic technology.

August 3, 2026 – Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH) has opened the NCH Robotic Surgery Institute, a dedicated outpatient surgery center designed primarily for minimally invasive robotic procedures that brings together independent community physicians and NCH-employed surgeons in a shared environment focused on advanced patient care. NCH currently performs nearly 2,000 robotic surgery procedures annually and the institute will add to that number as it expands access to leading-edge surgical technology while offering patients a streamlined outpatient experience centered on minimally invasive care.

Located within the NCH Medical Plaza adjacent to the NCH Baker Hospital, the institute is equipped with the newest generation of Intuitive surgical technology, including the da Vinci 5 and da Vinci Single Port (SP) robotic systems. The outpatient facility streamlines the surgical experience while providing patients with the benefits of minimally invasive procedures performed in a highly specialized setting.

Unlike traditional operating rooms that accommodate a wide range of surgical services, the NCH Robotic Surgery Institute was purpose-built to support advanced minimally invasive surgery, with robotic-assisted procedures serving as the foundation of the program. The center supports procedures across multiple specialties, including general surgery, urology and vascular surgery, with the flexibility to accommodate additional robotic specialties as the program continues to grow.

“The Robotic Surgery Institute was intentionally designed around robotic surgery from the ground up,” said David Ornstein, MD, Director of the NCH Robotic Surgery Institute. “By creating a dedicated environment with specialized technology, experienced surgical teams and standardized workflows, we’re able to maximize efficiency while providing patients with the highest level of precision, safety and consistency.”

“The Institute creates a destination where physicians throughout our community have access to some of the most advanced robotic surgical technology available while giving patients a seamless outpatient experience centered on safety, innovation and exceptional care,” said J. Ryan Obi, MD, Subsection Chief of General Surgery at NCH. “By bringing independent community physicians and NCH-employed surgeons together in one dedicated facility, we’re expanding access to minimally invasive surgical care while strengthening collaboration that ultimately benefits patients across Southwest Florida.”

Robotic-assisted surgery enables surgeons to perform complex procedures through small incisions with enhanced precision, dexterity and three-dimensional visualization. For many patients, that translates into less pain, reduced blood loss, smaller scars, shorter recovery times and the ability to return home the same day.

Built for outpatient surgery, the institute improves convenience for both patients and physicians. The facility remains fully integrated with the NCH system, providing seamless access to imaging, laboratory services, electronic medical records and hospital resources when needed.

“The Robotic Surgery Institute represents another significant investment in the future of surgical care at NCH,” said Robert Grossman, MD, Chairman for the NCH Department of Surgery and General Surgeon with the NCH Medical Group. “Patients benefit not only from the latest robotic technology, but from a center designed entirely around minimally invasive outpatient surgery. Whether referred by an NCH physician or an independent community physician, patients have access to the same high level of expertise, advanced technology and coordinated care.”

The NCH Robotic Surgery Institute features advanced robotic platforms designed to support a wide range of minimally invasive procedures, including hernia repair, gallbladder surgery, anti-reflux surgery, colorectal surgery, prostatectomies and select vascular interventions. By concentrating robotic surgery within a dedicated outpatient environment, NCH continues to invest in technologies and care models that improve patient outcomes while strengthening partnerships with physicians throughout the region.

For more information about the NCH Robotic Surgery Institute, visit NCHmd.org.

About NCH
Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH) is an advanced community healthcare system serving Southwest Florida with premier routine, critical, and specialty care. A locally governed nonprofit, NCH has been recognized among America’s Top 50 hospitals which puts it in the top 1% in the nation for clinical excellence. It was also named a Top 50 Cardiovascular Hospital by Modern Healthcare. The system includes NCH Baker Hospital and NCH North Hospital, with more than 700 beds and more than 750 physicians, along with medical facilities in dozens of locations throughout Southwest Florida. NCH is the region’s only Joint Commission-accredited Comprehensive Stroke Center, and its cardiac care program ranks among the top three in the state. NCH collaborates with the Hospital for Special Surgery for orthopedics, Northwestern Medicine for oncology, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital for pediatrics, and ProScan Imaging for radiology services, ensuring top-tier medical care is available locally. With the largest provider network, urgent and immediate care centers, diagnostic facilities, and two hospitals, NCH continues to advance the quality of care close to home. For more information, visit nchmd.org.



Jelena Marjanovic, Ph.D., and Marjana Tomic-Canic, Ph.D., are studying the molecular drivers of nonhealing venous leg ulcers.

By: Chad Hanson

A Miller School-led study published in Science Translational Medicine identifies PTEN as a master regulator of nonhealing venous leg ulcers, revealing a potential therapeutic strategy to restart stalled wound repair.

For millions of patients living with chronic venous leg ulcers (VLUs), healing remains a major challenge. Despite standard treatments that include compression therapy and wound care, fewer than half of VLUs heal successfully. These chronic wounds can persist for years, causing pain, loss of mobility, social isolation and substantial health care costs.

A study led by researchers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine has uncovered a key molecular driver of these nonhealing wounds and identified a potential therapeutic strategy that could help restart the healing process.

What the Study Found

  • PTEN activity is elevated in chronic venous leg ulcers.
  • Elevated PTEN suppresses immune, vascular and lymphatic repair processes.
  • Blocking PTEN restored healing pathways in preclinical models.
  • PTEN may represent a future therapeutic target for chronic wounds.

Published in Science Translational Medicine, researchers from the Wound Healing and Regenerative Medicine Research Program at the Miller School found that the signaling molecule PTEN acts as a master regulator of several biological processes that fail in chronic, nonhealing venous leg ulcers. The study was led by Jelena Marjanovic, Ph.D., a research assistant professor in the Dr. Phillip Frost Deparment of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery who recently completed her postdoctoral training in the Wound Healing and Regenerative Medicine Research Program, with Marjana Tomic-Canic, Ph.D., the William H. Eaglstein, M.D., Chair in Wound Healing and director of the program.

Elevated PTEN activity suppresses immune responses, blood vessel formation and lymphatic vessel development, effectively trapping wounds in a persistent, nonhealing state. In preclinical models, inhibiting PTEN reversed many of these defects and accelerated wound closure, highlighting new potential therapeutic approach.

Looking Beneath the Surface: Why Some Wounds Heal and Others Don’t

Venous leg ulcers account for approximately 70% of all leg ulcers and affect up to 3% of the general population. Despite representing a major clinical and public health burden, the molecular mechanisms that distinguish wounds that heal from those that do not are poorly understood.

To address that gap, the research team combined advanced genomic technologies with a prospective clinical study of patients with VLUs. The study began with single-cell RNA sequencing of tissue from chronic VLUs and healthy skin to build a detailed map of the cellular landscape of nonhealing VLUs. Investigators followed patients with VLUs undergoing standard treatment to determine which wounds were healing and which remained stalled. Wound samples collected at enrollment were analyzed using bulk RNA sequencing and linked to healing outcomes measured over four weeks. Ulcers that decreased in size by more than 50% were classified as healing, while those that failed to reach that threshold were considered nonhealing.

“Venous leg ulcers are what I consider an ‘invisible epidemic.’ Although they are so common, debilitating and costly, they remain underrecognized by the public,” said Dr. Tomic-Canic. “We wanted to understand why some wounds heal while others remain biologically stalled, despite receiving appropriate clinical care. By integrating advanced molecular analyses with studying human wounds over time, we were able to identify the molecular programs that distinguish healing from nonhealing wounds.”

A Failure of Coordinated Repair

The analyses revealed fundamental differences between healing and nonhealing ulcers. Chronic nonhealing wounds showed widespread suppression of immune activity, including impaired recruitment and movement of immune cells into injured tissue. Key inflammatory pathways that are normally activated during healthy wound repair were largely absent. By contrast, healing VLUs displayed gene-expression patterns that closely resembled those observed in normal acute wound healing.

The team also found significant defects in angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels that deliver oxygen, nutrients and immune cells to damaged tissue. Nonhealing ulcers had fewer blood vessels and reduced expression of genes associated with vascular growth.

A third hallmark of nonhealing wounds involved lymphangiogenesis, the formation of lymphatic vessels that help regulate inflammation and remove fluid and cellular debris. Nonhealing ulcers exhibited fewer lymphatic vessels and reduced trafficking of immune cells through the lymphatic system, suggesting that both immune recruitment and immune clearance were compromised.

“Wound healing is like a symphony, with many different cell types and biological processes orchestrated to work together to close a wound,” said Dr. Tomic-Canic. “We wanted to understand what happens when that harmony is lost and why some wounds fail to progress through the normal healing process despite appropriate care.”

Together, the findings revealed a breakdown of multiple interconnected healing processes, highlighting simultaneous defects in immune, vascular and lymphatic systems that fail in concert, rather than a single underlying mechanism.

PTEN Emerges as a Master Regulator

Using bioinformatic analyses to identify upstream regulators of these defects, the investigators repeatedly arrived at the same candidate. PTEN is a well-known tumor suppressor protein that regulates multiple cellular signaling pathways. PTEN activity was elevated in nonhealing ulcers and was associated with suppression of key signaling pathways involved in cell migration, inflammation, angiogenesis and tissue repair.

Further analyses confirmed increased PTEN signaling in immune cells and lymphatic endothelial cells within chronic wounds. The researchers concluded that PTEN serves as a master regulator capable of simultaneously influencing many of the biological processes disrupted in nonhealing VLUs.

“What makes this discovery particularly intriguing is that PTEN emerges as a central control capable of influencing multiple healing processes at once,” said Dr. Marjanovic. “PTEN is a well-known tumor suppressor. Together with our previous work in diabetic foot ulcers, these findings point to an unexpected connection between pathways that suppress cell growth and those required for effective healing.”

PTEN Inhibition in Preclinical Models

To determine whether targeting PTEN could improve healing, the researchers treated wounds with a pharmacologic PTEN inhibitor. PTEN inhibition increased immune-cell recruitment, enhanced inflammatory signaling, stimulated angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis and accelerated wound closure. Investigators also observed greater granulation tissue formation and faster re-epithelialization, two hallmarks of successful wound repair. Similar regenerative effects were observed in a human ex vivo skin-wound model. These findings suggest that PTEN inhibition may help restore multiple healing processes that are impaired in nonhealing wounds.

“What makes this finding especially exciting is that targeting a single molecule was able to restore multiple processes required for healing,” said Dr Tomic-Canic. “The ability to influence so many impaired pathways at once points to a promising new direction for chronic wound research and therapy.”

Although additional studies will be needed to evaluate safety and determine whether the approach can be translated to patients, the findings suggest that temporary, localized PTEN inhibition may help convert a chronically stalled wound into an actively healing one. For clinicians and patients facing the persistent challenge of venous leg ulcers, the discovery offers a new framework for understanding chronic wound biology and a potential pathway toward more effective treatments.