Clay and Duval Counties will receive a total of $120,000 grant funding, over three years
JACKSONVILLE, FL (July 18, 2024) – With a significant grant from the HCA Healthcare Foundation, HCA Florida Memorial and Orange Park Hospitals, were pleased to present the Clay County Education Foundation and Jacksonville Public Education Fund with grants of $60,000 each over three years, for a total of $120,000, to enhance healthcare career opportunities for high school students across Clay and Duval counties. This program, part of a statewide initiative called “Career Pathways to a Healthier Florida,” aims to prepare students for in-demand healthcare roles through enhanced healthcare academy offerings.
“Our grant to the Jacksonville Public Education Fund will help empower and forge a robust healthcare pipeline, nurturing students and igniting their passion to become the healthcare leaders of tomorrow. With this support, it will energize the next generation of healthcare professionals, who will shape the future of medicine in Northeast Florida,” said Reed Hammond, Chief Executive Officer of HCA Florida Memorial Hospital.
“Through our partnership with the Clay County Education Foundation, HCA Florida Healthcare is not only strengthening our healthcare workforce pipeline but also ensuring our community receives the highest quality care. Together, we can innovate, educate, and inspire the next generation of healthcare professionals, advancing our commitment to giving people a healthier tomorrow,” said Jeff Taylor, Chief Executive Officer at HCA Florida Orange Park Hospital.
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The HCA Foundation dollars are projected to impact over 1,100 Clay and Duval county students, resulting in 125 CNA certification completions, and 102 other certifications to include, Biotechnician Assistant Credentialing Exam (BACE), Certified EKG technician (CET), and Emergency Medical Responder (EMR).
The Florida Chamber Foundation’s Workforce Needs Study estimates there to be a shortage of approximately 463,000 healthcare workers by the end of 2024. Through the Career Pathways to a Healthier Florida program, the Consortium will develop and manage a grant process which allows local education foundations to apply for grant funds in support of local projects that foster healthcare career pathways. The program will fund 15 local education foundations in Florida over the next three years, focusing on activities that lead to nursing or allied health tracks and include work-based learning, healthcare career exploration activities and industry certifications.
"We are thrilled to partner with HCA Healthcare Foundation on this transformative initiative. This generous grant not only addresses a critical workforce need by fostering healthcare careers among Florida's youth, but also leverages our capacity to connect students to their communities for meaningful and potentially life-changing learning opportunities,” said Mary Chance, president & CEO of the Consortium. “Together, we're paving the way for a healthier, more prosperous future for Florida.”
The Career Pathways to a Healthier Florida program grant is funded through the Healthier Tomorrow Fund, a community impact fund focused on addressing high-priority community needs and health equity. Since its launch in 2021, the Fund has committed more than $20 million in communities where HCA Healthcare has a presence and made grants to 90 nonprofit organizations.
HCA Healthcare and the HCA Healthcare Foundation have a strong history of collaboration with the Consortium and its members. HCA Healthcare has also partnered with several of Florida’s local education foundations through the Consortium’s Explore & Excel in Healthcare Careers program, which allows students to visit local hospitals for tours and learn more about education pathways that lead to healthcare careers and provides healthcare equipment for hands-on learning in classrooms. HCA Healthcare colleagues are also active as board members and volunteers with local education foundations.
About HCA Florida Healthcare in Jacksonville
HCA Florida Healthcare, a part of HCA Healthcare, is a family of more than 500 affiliated sites of care. It is a collaborative network connecting approximately 11,000 physicians, 49 hospitals, over 50 urgent care centers and more than 350 physician practices and freestanding emergency rooms. In Jacksonville, HCA Florida Healthcare Memorial Hospital and HCA Florida Orange Park Hospital are part of this network of personalized care. Both are full service, acute care, Level II trauma hospitals fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and both are ranked as one of the best hospitals in the country for heart, lung, and surgical care. For more information about services, facilities and physicians, please visit www.hcafloridahealthcare.com.