Katie Gibbs, CEO, Kindred Hospital North Florida

In an interview with Invest:, Katie Gibbs discussed her priorities since stepping into the CEO role at Kindred Hospital North Florida, including learning the community, supporting clinicians, and strengthening referral relationships. Gibbs also highlighted the Green Cove Springs hospital’s role in caring for medically complex patients and helping them progress through recovery. “We are a hospital, but we are not a traditional hospital,” she said. “We bridge the gap between acute care and recovery when patients continue to need complex medical care.”

What have been your priorities since stepping into the CEO role in May 2026, and how would you describe Kindred Hospital North Florida?

Kindred Hospital North Florida is part of a national network of specialty acute care hospitals. We care for patients who are medically complex or recovering from a serious illness or injury. We are a hospital, but we are not a traditional hospital. We do not have patients coming through an emergency department, and we do not deliver babies.

We care for patients who have been hospitalized, experienced a significant medical event, and still need a higher level of specialized care and rehabilitation. We bridge the gap between acute care and recovery when patients continue to need complex medical care.

We specialize in caring for patients who have suffered respiratory failure or other complex pulmonary issues. We also specialize in caring for patients recovering from complex wounds, sepsis or other serious infectious diseases, strokes, traumatic brain injuries, heart failure, kidney failure or a combination of these complex conditions. Many of our patients come to us directly from the ICU.

I have worked in this type of healthcare setting for more than eight years. Most recently, I served as corporate director of clinical services for a network of long-term acute care and rehabilitation hospitals and was based out of Texas. During my first 60 to 90 days at Kindred North Florida, my focus was to learn about our clinicians, the needs of Jacksonville and the surrounding communities, and how we can continue getting our message out. We are a referral-based hospital, so strong community relationships are important.

Because I was not from Jacksonville, I also needed to learn about the community while sharing what this facility does.

What recent accomplishments stand out for the hospital?

Our ventilator liberation rates are above the national average for specialty long-term acute care hospitals. We take pride in helping patients who could not breathe on their own get off the ventilator successfully and breathe independently again.

Our readmission rates back to acute care hospitals also outperform benchmarks. These patients can receive care in our specialty hospital without having to return to the acute care hospital for additional treatment.

We recently recertified our Joint Commission Disease-Specific Certifications in Respiratory Failure and Sepsis. These certifications reinforce our dedication to specialized care and to being a leader in these programs. Joint Commission certification is not required for a long-term acute care hospital, but we are Joint Commission-accredited as a hospital and certified in these specialty areas, which reflects the work we do for respiratory and sepsis patients.

We are also proud to care for recovering patients at our on-site Acute Rehabilitation Unit, which provides intensive inpatient rehabilitation for patients to continue their recovery. Our ARU is delivering exceptional patient outcomes, exceeding self-care and mobility scoring benchmarks, which is a reflection of the skill, collaboration, and dedication of our rehabilitation team.  

 We also continue investing in our employees. We recently held a Fourth of July cookout, and we have been sharing caregiver stories and highlighting the work they do for patients.

Another important effort is our work with Project SEARCH. We bring students into the hospital and partner with them in roles where they may not otherwise have access to the workforce. We are not only caring for patients but also helping students in the community build life skills.

What trends are having the greatest impact on post-acute care in North Florida?

We are seeing an aging population that requires increasingly complex medical care. People are living longer and surviving illnesses more successfully, which creates growing demand for post-acute services.

There is also a need to move patients through the healthcare continuum. Acute care hospitals need beds available for patients coming through the emergency room. Specialty hospitals can care for medically complex patients who need the same acute care setting and still require significant support for a longer period of time.

Our major focus is workforce development, engagement, and strengthening our quality initiatives. Our parent company, ScionHealth, has a National Quality Strategy focused on zero patient harm and exceptional outcomes. For us, it is important to hire well, train well, and develop our staff so we can continue delivering strong outcomes.

How are you approaching workforce recruitment and retention?

Workforce shortages, rising operating costs, and increasing salary costs are affecting healthcare nationwide. Jacksonville is also experiencing a higher cost of living.

We want to bring in good talent and retain good talent. We do that by reinvesting in our staff and leadership. I have focused on coaching my team during my first 90 days, including leadership strategies and how we handle situations. We are focused on optimizing the employee experience so that we then optimize the patient experience by having invested, well-trained employees. 

We have made small improvements to the building, including planting flowers, and we have invested in food and other things staff may need. We also take a personal approach. We want to know our employees and understand whether they are facing challenges in their lives and how we can help.

You cannot always solve everything by offering more money. You need to see employees as whole people, just as we see patients as whole people.

How does Kindred collaborate with other healthcare providers and community organizations?

We are invested in our acute care partners. We meet with them at least quarterly to discuss challenges, transfers, and success stories. We share our quality outcomes and talk about issues they may be facing that we could potentially help address.

We’re always excited to help healthcare professionals learn more about the benefits and capabilities of long-term acute care hospitals and the ways that Kindred can partner with short-term acute care hospitals to improve patient outcomes and reduce readmissions. If any physicians and hospital leaders in the Jacksonville area would like to tour our facility and learn more about how we can help their medically complex patients, we’d love to have them.  

We also work with partners through social media and local chambers. We are investing in health expos with our acute care partners, and we are excited to continue building those relationships.

We also work with lower-income services in Clay County to provide additional support where we can.

How are technology and data being used to support care?

We are looking at how new tools can help shape our capabilities. We already use several platforms to collect, review, and share data, including success stories.

Because we are a healthcare-driven facility, we continue following best practices and current clinical trends. We share new developments with staff each month, including new ways to care for patients. We also make multiple publications available to our staff.

Patient privacy is important. We maintain a secure network and use it to support communication and review patient charts. AI capabilities can provide physicians with an additional resource, while also helping them communicate with one another more effectively.

What is your outlook for Kindred Hospital North Florida over the next three years?

I am optimistic about our future. We expect demand for specialized care to continue growing as Northeast Florida’s population expands, and development continues.

Our focus will remain on advancing quality outcomes, expanding community partnerships, and maintaining our reputation as a trusted provider for medically complex patients. We will also continue sharing our positive patient outcomes throughout Jacksonville and the surrounding areas.

Healthcare in Jacksonville is going to continue growing. We will keep working with our acute care partners to support appropriate care transitions and continue providing patient-centered care.