Chicago-based Northwestern Medicine and Clearwater, Fla.-based BayCare have launched a strategic collaboration aimed at expanding access to advanced care and advancing physician education and training in West Central Florida. The agreement looks to increase educational opportunities for students, residents and physicians, and to enhance clinical research in the region, according to a June 5 joint news release.

BayCare, a 16-hospital system, is the region’s largest provider of pediatric, cardiac and behavioral health services. The partnership with Northwestern Medicine — which includes 11 hospitals and more than 200 ambulatory and diagnostic sites — is a key step in BayCare’s strategic growth. “West Central Florida deserves more access to academic medicine and by entering into a strategic

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