UF Health celebrates opening of new Florida Recovery Center

Press release from UF Health

BY MATT WALKER

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Where there is breath, there is hope.

Those simple words of comfort, wisdom and encouragement — spoken by a loving mother — helped carry Scott Teitelbaum, M.D., the Pottash professor in psychiatry and neuroscience at the University of Florida College of Medicine, through some of the darkest times of his life as he struggled with addiction.

Now, for more than 25 years, Teitelbaum has carried his mother’s words close to his heart and throughout his tenure as medical director of the UF Health Florida Recovery Center, or FRC, bringing hope and a fresh start to thousands during their darkest times.

Today, the FRC celebrated its own fresh start with a grand opening event for its state-of-the-art recovery facility at a more convenient location.

The new FRC campus, near the UF Health Springhill medical complex, replaces the previous site near Williston Road on Southwest 13th Street.

“I’ve been waiting for this day for about 25 years,” Teitelbaum told the crowd of more than 200. “As a younger physician… I would run around the area where we are now, and I thought what a beautiful place this would be for a treatment center. Twenty-five years later and the dream, the vision, has been realized.” 

The new facility increases patient capacity from 80 to 124 beds, featuring single- and double-occupancy rooms. The 5-acre campus includes 47,600 square feet of residential, therapeutic, and recreational space. Amenities include a swimming pool, gym, outdoor recreation area, and pickleball court. An existing 18,700-square-foot administrative building houses offices and will be home to various services, such as addiction evaluations, group and individual therapy, lectures, and outpatient care.

“When I look at this new campus, I don’t just see new buildings or updated amenities,” said Kent Mathias, M.D., an assistant professor of psychiatry and addiction medicine at the UF College of Medicine Department of Psychiatry. “I see what is possible. To me, this is more than a treatment center. It’s a sanctuary. It’s a sanctuary of dignity. It’s a sanctuary of science. And it’s a sanctuary of hope.”

Ranked the No. 1 addiction treatment center in Florida and No. 5 nationwide by Newsweek, the FRC is one of a handful of addiction recovery centers in the country that are part of an academic health center. As such, it offers patients not only premier addiction treatment, but the opportunity for treatment of other medical and mental health conditions.

“At a time of so much change and uncertainty in our society, UF Health continues to provide hope,” said Michael Holmes, M.S.A., UF Health senior vice president and Greater Gainesville regional president. “With the new facility we open today, we open the door for another generation to get the help they need.”

The UF Health Florida Recovery Center was founded in 1999 and serves people locally and from around the country and all walks of life, including health professionals, first responders, and others seeking help with behavioral health issues, including substance use and addiction.

“Today is more than a ribbon-cutting. It is a milestone, a moment to pause and reflect on the thousands of people who have found healing, hope, and a second chance through the work done at the UF Health Florida Recovery Center,” said David Fields, executive director. “For a quarter century, this program has stood as a place of refuge and transformation for individuals and families affected by substance use and addiction. And now, we open the doors to even greater possibilities, more space for healing, and a renewed commitment to walk alongside those starting their recovery journey.”