JACKSONVILLE, Fla. ― Mayo Clinic in Florida has donated $5 million to the I.M. Sulzbacher Center and will become the “Healthcare Partner” of the nonprofit’s Enterprise Village, a new multibuilding expansion in Northwest Jacksonville, which will provide resources to people and families with limited access to healthcare, housing, social services, job training and education.
“Mayo Clinic is committed to being a positive force in the Jacksonville community,” says Kent Thielen, M.D., CEO of Mayo Clinic in Florida. “We are thrilled to deepen our partnership with Sulzbacher as together we seek ways to innovatively address healthcare needs.”
The $5 million gift to Sulzbacher, Northeast Florida’s largest provider of comprehensive services for people experiencing homelessness, is part of Mayo Clinic’s commitment to the communities it serves in Jacksonville, its sites in Arizona and Minnesota, and various Midwest Mayo Clinic Health System locations. This month, Mayo will invest an additional $22 million in organizations in these communities that address access to healthcare, housing, food insecurity, and safe places for learning and enrichment for youth. The organizations were chosen based on community needs, how their work aligns with Mayo Clinic’s mission, and Mayo’s history of partnership with each organization.
“We are extremely humbled and grateful for this amazing investment from our longtime friend and partner Mayo Clinic,” says Cindy Funkhouser, president and CEO, Sulzbacher. “As the ‘Healthcare Partner’ sponsor for our new Enterprise Village campus, Mayo has shown its commitment to health equity for every person in Jacksonville. Mayo Clinic investing in the largest health desert in our city will hopefully motivate and inspire others to invest. This investment is a game-changer for Sulzbacher, the people we serve and the entire city.”
Mayo’s gift to Sulzbacher will be used to provide space at Enterprise Village for primary care, behavioral health, optical and dental services, and a pharmacy. In addition, Mayo will work with Sulzbacher to design access to its virtual care capabilities and services. Sulzbacher’s health centers are classified as Federally Qualified Health Centers, offering comprehensive healthcare to anyone in the community in need. Enterprise Village is expected to be completed by 2026.
Mayo Clinic’s long-standing partnership with Sulzbacher
Mayo Clinic began its collaboration with Sulzbacher in 2008. Throughout the long-standing partnership, Mayo has provided medical assistance and expertise, and participated in mobile healthcare programs. Mayo assisted Sulzbacher during the COVID-19 pandemic, and employees continue to volunteer at its health centers and serve on its board of directors.
In June, Mayo Clinic in Florida launched its Learners Community Clinic at Sulzbacher to address healthcare disparities by providing weekly medical care to Jacksonville’s most vulnerable patients and clinical education to residents and fellows. Mayo Clinic currently provides primary care, family medicine and cardiology services, and expects to offer additional healthcare specialties soon.
This gift is in addition to the nearly $323,000 in grants Mayo Clinic in Florida awarded last month to 28 organizations and programs, including Sulzbacher, to help address key community health needs identified in the Northeast Florida Community Health Needs Assessment.
###
About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.
Be the first to comment