Gov. Charlie Crist cut $9.7 million in state funding for Shands-UF on Friday.

Shands officials say this will likely have a ripple effect in their ability to provide care for low-income and uninsured patients.

“Elimination of this critical revenue source for Shands at UF was totally unexpected," said Tim Goldfarb, CEO of Shands HealthCare. "It is both devastating and perplexing to us given that the governor recommended this funding as part of his budget and approved it in his previous three plans. It is vital to supporting our responsibility to care for Florida’s most vulnerable and neediest residents, particularly those without adequate health insurance coverage."

In addition to the $9.7 million reduction from the state, officials said they anticipated that Shands will lose an additional $12 million in federal funding through the Medicaid match program.

“Shands is among the largest Medicaid and charity care providers in Florida and we have a strong sense of commitment to serve those with little or no insurance. A loss of this magnitude will dramatically impact Shands at UF’s ability to continue to meet the increasing demands placed on us,” said Goldfarb.

The $9.7 million Shands cuts were part of the $371 million Crist vetoed in spending provisions. The line-item vetoes included $160 million that had been shifted from Florida's transportation trust fund to public schools and more than $180 million for college and university construction projects.