JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Mayo Clinic in Florida has awarded grants to 26 organizations and programs to address the key community health needs identified in this year’s Northeast Florida Community Health Needs Assessment. The amount awarded to each organization ranged from $2,500 to $22,000, with a total combined amount for all organizations of $198,641.

"We are honored to support the work of so many groups that are making a difference in our community," says Ivan Porter II, M.D., chair of the Community Engagement Committee at Mayo Clinic in Florida.

Community grants were awarded in the following categories:

• Access (transportation, health, etc.)
• Equity, inclusion and diversity
• Mental health
• Chronic disease
• Youth  
• Obesity, nutrition and healthy lifestyles 
• Homelessness
• Education 

Organizations can apply twice a year for grants less than or greater than $5,000. The grants are awarded by the Community Engagement Committee — a diverse committee of individuals from different backgrounds and roles. When awarding grants, the Community Engagement Committee looks for organizations that promote community initiatives which align with the mission objectives of Mayo Clinic in Florida, and areas prioritized by the Community Health Needs Assessment such as access, chronic diseases and mental health. 

"People returning from incarceration face a multitude of barriers. And without adequate housing, transportation and employment, people are less connected to their communities and families — therefore, far more likely to re-offend and return to incarceration," says Reggie Fullwood, president and CEO of Operation New Hope, a grant recipient. "At Operation New Hope, we provide the support and training needed to reconnect people to the workforce, their families and their communities."

"Jacksonville University's Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) Department is honored to have Mayo Clinic's support to establish a counseling center for men, in partnership with Family Support Services," says LaTonya Summers, Ph.D., director of Jacksonville University’s Clinic Mental Health Counseling Center.

CMHC students will complete their practicum and internship requirements at the Center for Men's Mental Wellness by providing mental health counseling and support to men who live in Jacksonville’s 32209 ZIP code.

"When it comes to serving the underserved in health care, many programs focus only on women and children, inadvertently excluding men," Dr. Summers says. "When we see this region of our city in the news, it's often the faces of its men that are made visible. To change what we see, we believe that the invisible needs of the community must be addressed and starting with fundamental mental health is critical."

In addition to funding programs at Operation New Hope and Jacksonville University, Mayo Clinic’s Community Contributions program also awarded the following organizations:

• 2^nd Mile Ministries 
• American National Red Cross  
• Barnabas Clinic
• BASCA INC. 
• BEAM, Inc. 
• Cathedral Arts Project 
• Catholic Charities Bureau 
• Center for Children’s Rights 
• Changing Homelessness, Inc.  
• Communities in Schools-Jacksonville 
• Gabriel House of Care/St. Andrews Lighthouse, Inc. 
• Girl Scouts of Gateway Council  
• Good Samaritan Health Centers, Inc. 
• Hart Felt Ministries 
• Here Tomorrow 
• I.M. Sulzbacher Center for the Homeless 
• Jax Public Education Fund
• Mission House 
• MOSH 
• PACE Center for Girls, Inc.  
• Pine Castle, Inc. 
• Step Up for Students, Inc.
• Volunteers in Medicine
• We Care Jacksonville, Inc. 

For more information about Mayo Clinic’s Community Contributions program, visit Mayo Clinic Community Engagement. 

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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.

Media contact:

• Kevin Punsky, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

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