In a move that Gov. Rick Scott called "disappointing" for the state of Florida, Solantic, Scott's former chain of urgent care clinics, announced it will be moving its corporate headquarters to Tennessee.
Some Florida media outlets have noted the contrast between this announcement and Scott's platform of job creation. But Paul Duncan, chair of UF's Department of Health Services Research, Management and Policy, said the move will not be a cause of concern for students wanting to go into health care.
No clinics are closing in Florida, so the job opportunities should still be there, he said.
"It seems unlikely that many jobs in the [urgent care] centers themselves will be lost," Duncan wrote in an email. "Likewise, I don't think the location of corporate headquarters will impact the amount of care being delivered by the centers."
Solantic, co-founded by Scott in 2001, has 32 urgent care clinics throughout Florida, and spokeswoman Mandy Villalva said all these centers will remain open.
Scott sold the company in June to New York investment firm Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe.
The company's corporate offices are in Jacksonville. The city will retain some of the company's executives, including those in marketing and sales, while the rest will be moved to Nashville, she said.
Solantic currently employs about 700 people in Florida. The company announced in August that it will be creating 50 new positions for physicians, physician assistants and office staff statewide.
Though Solantic is moving its headquarters to Tennessee, this Solantic facility on the corner of Northwest 39th Avenue and Northwest 43rd Street is not in danger of closing.
