Baptist Health Announces $1.6M for Local Health Clinics

Baptist Health will provide more than $1.6 million in strategic investments to free and charitable health clinics in Northeast Florida over a five-year-period as part of the health system’s long-standing commitment to expand access to health care throughout the community.

As a not-for-profit health system deeply rooted in the communities it serves, Baptist Health regularly invests in initiatives aimed to strengthen the health and well-being of all those living in Northeast Florida. The new funding will provide general operating support for qualified community health clinics in addition to the existing funding that Baptist Health already makes available to address health inequities.

“Baptist Health’s mission has always been about more than providing excellent care in our hospitals and clinics – it's about showing up for our neighbors wherever needs exist,” said Michael A. Mayo, DHA, FACHE, president and CEO of Baptist Health, who announced the funding at a luncheon for the beneficiaries on Monday. “By investing in and collaborating with free and charitable health clinics, we are meeting people where they are, removing barriers to care and helping families stay healthy proactively.”

To help build a stronger, healthier community, Baptist Health has established a donor-advised fund at The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida. The Baptist Health Community Health Clinic Fund opens with an initial amount of $1,665,500 million. Federally qualified health centers and free and charitable health clinics that are members of the Florida Association of Free and Charitable Clinics and are based in Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties may be eligible to receive support from the fund.

“The Community Foundation is proud to support Baptist Health with its goal of providing steady, reliable funding for local health clinics,” said Isaiah M. Oliver, president of The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida. “We are grateful for their generosity and foresight as they seek to address a pressing community need.”

Katie Ensign, Baptist Health’s vice president of Community Impact, said improving access to health care is one of the priorities outlined in the recent Community Health Needs Assessment, a report created by local nonprofit hospitals to guide efforts to improve the region’s health outcomes.

The assessment showed that 14.5% of adults in Northeast Florida – more than 140,000 people ages 18 to 64 – do not have health insurance, compared to 12% nationwide. It also showed that 7% of local children – more than 26,000 – are uninsured, compared to 5.3% nationally.

“Lack of health insurance is a primary barrier to health care access, including regular primary care, specialty care and other health services,” Ensign said. “Charitable health clinics, such as those that will benefit from this fund, help to reduce that barrier to care. We are proud to collaborate with these clinics to improve access to health and well-being for all who live in our region.”

About Baptist Health

Based in Jacksonville, Florida, Baptist Health is a community-based health system focused on making health care easier to access while working to improve health and well-being. As the area’s only locally governed, faith-based, not-for-profit health system, Baptist Health delivers a full spectrum of preventive and specialty care through its 200+ ambulatory locations, six acute care hospitals, home health and virtual care offerings. Through its comprehensive approach to whole-person health for children and adults, Baptist Health provides the area’s largest network of primary care, urgent care and behavioral health care, as well as many specialty services and several wellness centers. Destination centers of excellence include Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center, Baptist Heart Hospital, Baptist Neurological Institute, and Wolfson Children’s Hospital, the only full-service children’s hospital serving the region. To help people get the care they need when and where they need it, the health system leverages digital technology to enhance the delivery of its high-quality, seamless, patient-centered care. Baptist Health is vital to the community, caring for more patients in Northeast Florida than any other provider. The health system has been consistently ranked as “most preferred” for more than 30 years and has been named one of “America’s Greatest Workplaces in Health Care” by Newsweek magazine. To learn more, visit BaptistJax.com.

About The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida

The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida (www.jaxcf.org), Florida’s oldest and one of its largest community foundations, works to stimulate philanthropy to build a better community. The Foundation helps donors invest their philanthropic gifts wisely, helps nonprofits serve the region effectively, and helps people come together to make the community a better place. Now in its 62nd year, the Foundation manages more than $750 million in assets and has made more than $850 million in grants since inception.