Mayo Clinic to be ‘health care partner’ with Sulzbacher Center’s Enterprise Village (Courtesy of the Jacksonville Business Journal) — Mayo Clinic in Florida announced Wednesday that it has donated $5 million to the I.M. Sulzbacher Center and will become the “health care partner” of the nonprofit’s Enterprise Village (rendering pictured above).
The project is a new multi-building expansion in Northwest Jacksonville that will provide resources to those with limited access to health care, housing, social services, job training and education.
“Mayo Clinic is committed to being a positive force in the Jacksonville community,” said Dr. Kent Thielen, CEO of Mayo Clinic in Florida, in a release. “We are thrilled to deepen our partnership with Sulzbacher as together we seek ways to innovatively address healthcare needs.”
According to Mayo, the $5 million gift to Sulzbacher, the area’s largest provider of services for those experiencing homelessness, is part of Mayo Clinic’s commitment to the communities it serves in Jacksonville. It’s funding similar efforts at its sites in Arizona and Minnesota as well as 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 health care, housing, food insecurity, and safe places for learning and enrichment for youth.
The organizations were chosen, Mayo said, 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,” said Cindy Funkhouser, president and CEO of Sulzbacher. “As the ‘health care 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 health care to anyone in the community in need. Enterprise Village is expected to be completed by 2026.
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 health care programs.
In June, Mayo Clinic in Florida launched its Learners Community Clinic at Sulzbacher to address health care 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 health care specialties soon.
The new 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.
Rendering courtesy of Sulzbacher