Douglas M. Baer

Mr. Baer received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Florida in 1983, and is a certified public accountant. From 1983 to 1991 he was employed as an auditor by KPMG Peat Marwick servicing various healthcare clients. Baer joined Brooks in May, 1991 as Vice President/Corporate Controller.

In 1995 Baer was promoted to Chief Financial Officer. He held this position for six years until he became Executive Vice President/Chief Operations Officer in June 2001. The Board of Directors of Brooks Health System appointed Baer its President and CEO, effective October 1, 2002. In this position, Doug has facilitated growth of the non-profit corporation from $55M to $200M in net revenue. Under his leadership, the 160-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital has been reorganized into Centers of Excellence, added a physician practice, and expanded the outpatient division into 35 sites, added rehabilitation management contracts and a joint venture. In the last several years the Company has expanded its post-acute continuum with the purchase of a home health company and the opening of University Crossings Skilled Nursing Facility, a 111-bed facility that serves patients in need of both short and long-term rehabilitation. Our Bartram Campus consists of a skilled nursing facility, an assisted living facility and memory care homes. The Company was one of the first organizations in the country to test alternative payment models by participating in Medicare’s Bundled Payment demonstration program.

Brooks has made a commitment to providing rehabilitation-related programs and services to benefit those in the community without funding. New partnerships and funding will exceed $10M in 2019, for community initiatives, professional education, charity care, and research. Community benefit programs include the region’s only adaptive sports and recreation programs for adults and children, multiple Neurorecovery Centers, the State’s only Brain Injury Clubhouse and, most recently added, the Brooks Rehabilitation Aphasia Center, which is the only one of its kind in the regions. The Brooks Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Program is one of the best in the nation. The Brooks Center for Rehabilitation Studies, in affiliation with the University of Florida, has grown into a major research entity. Research is conducted through partnerships with the University of Florida, Mayo Clinic, University of North Florida, Jacksonville University and others.

Recognized and well-known as a leader in the community, Doug is active in many boards and organizations. Doug is on the Board of Trustees of the American Medical Rehabilitation Providers Association (AMRPA), serves on the Board for the First Coast American Heart Association, the Board for the United Way of Northeast Florida, the Jacksonville Civic Council, the YMCA, as well as several other civic and service organizations in the community.

Born and raised in Jacksonville, Doug lives in Jacksonville Beach with his wife Laura and has three children.