Mayo Clinic in Florida announced Sept. 12 it has opened the Community Health Collaborative in the city-owned Ed Ball Building Downtown.
The almost 3,100-square-foot office is on the ground floor at 214 N. Hogan St. where VyStar Credit Union vacated.
The site will not provide medical care. Mayo said in a news release the office aims to understand the health care needs of “Mayo Clinic’s neighbors and share health education and biomedical research that supports their needs.”
Mayo Clinic in Florida is based at 4500 San Pablo Road S. in South Jacksonville.
“Expanding Mayo Clinic’s footprint into downtown Jacksonville with a dedicated space for community engagement and Mayo Clinic research teams, allows us to fully explore innovative solutions that address the communities’ most pressing health issues,” said Dr. Kent Thielen, CEO of Mayo Clinic in Florida.
A sign in the office also references the Mayo Clinic Center for Health Equity and Community Engagement Research.
Mayo said the office has dedicated areas for community health education, clinical trial participation, outreach and more.
“The Community Health Collaborative is a positive step toward addressing health disparities and building health equity in our community,” said Folakemi Odedina, enterprise co-director of Health Equity and Community Engagement Research.
“Using an approach that meets people where they are, the downtown site will serve as a ‘hub’ where we’ll work with community organizations and others throughout the city for the health of the people.”
Dr. Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa, dean of research at Mayo Clinic in Florida, said Mayo will “bring our local community in downtown Jacksonville expanded access to everything Mayo Clinic research offers to help improve health outcomes.”
“We’re working with our neighbors to collaborate on research studies that directly address the needs of the community and help us discover more possible treatments and cures,” Quinones-Hinojosa said in the release.
“Our researchers also will gain valuable insight from the people we serve so we may continue our commitment to address healthcare issues important to populations in the areas we serve.”
Mayo said the Community Health Collaborative will offer:
Mayo Clinic Community Engagement Studios
The Community Engagement Studios program helps researchers work directly with community members. Community experts sign up to participate and meet virtually with Mayo Clinic researchers to provide consultation, guidance and advice on reaching community members. It said the benefits are mutual as researchers gain specific insights and community members learn about research that may affect them and others with similar experiences.
Mayo Clinic Community Research Registry
The registry is a database of diverse people who have consented to be contacted for biomedical research opportunities including clinical trials and biospecimen research. The goal is to reduce the disproportionate effect of disease in racially and ethnically diverse communities. About 250 members of the Jacksonville community are enrolled in the registry.
Community Scientist Program
This program is made up of “community scientists,” or community members who collaborate with medical researchers to improve the health of those in their communities. Members participate in activities such as providing input on study designs, reviewing study recruitment materials for cultural appropriateness and giving community presentations to advocate for research. The program supports biomedical research advocates in local neighborhoods and helps them build trust between Mayo Clinic and their neighbors.
Community-Engaged Research Advisory Boards
Community Advisory Boards are groups of community members who volunteer to consult with researchers. Board members are from a variety of backgrounds, meet regularly and have broad scientific and local cultural knowledge. Board members also may work with community partners to develop activities to address community health needs.
The hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.
Mayo said community members can walk into the center to access Mayo Clinic health and wellness information; participate in community health events; learn more about Mayo Clinic outreach events throughout Northeast Florida; and learn about opportunities to participate in research studies.
Community members will need to make an appointment to enroll in studies that are open at the center, speak with outreach and research staff, and participate in other research-related activities.
More background
The Mayo.edu site says the Center for Health Equity and Community Engagement Research focuses on disparity-related health promotion and disease prevention in areas including cancer, cardiovascular disease, metabolic illness and more.
It says the center has active researchers, community advisory boards and community engagement projects at Mayo Clinic’s campuses in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota.
“The Center for Health Equity and Community Engagement Research advances the ideal of health equity across the life span — locally and globally,” says the site.
Mayo.edu says the Center for Health Equity and Community Engagement Research at Mayo Clinic “catalyzes research that generates, disseminates and translates best practices in improving the health of communities and eliminating disparities in preventable illness and death.”
The center’s research areas include:
• Community-based participatory research
• Community-engaged research
Health promotion and disease prevention related to health disparities in areas of care including:
• Cancer
• Cardiovascular disease
• Chronic infections
• Metabolic illness
• Respiratory disease
• Rural health
• Social determinants of health
The office space
The city issued a building permit March 29 for Warden Contracting Corp. of Jacksonville to convert the former VyStar Credit Union space for a project called Mayo Community Health at a cost of $395,709.
A mayor’s office spokesperson said in October that Mayo’s lease with the city is only for the space vacated by VyStar, which relocated the branch to VyStar Tower at 76 S. Laura St.
The lease is valid for five years from March 15, 2022, to March 14, 2027.
Jacksonville City Council approved the lease and parking agreement with Mayo Clinic in April 2022 for a “general office use, administrative and clinical research purposes” at the Ed Ball Building.
The bill approved the lease for 3,072 square feet of ground-floor space.
It also allows for a parking agreement between Mayo and the Downtown Investment Authority for monthly and hourly parking in the Ed Ball Garage concurrent with the lease term.
The agreement provides six nonreserved parking spaces for staff with monthly access cards. It also allows parking for Mayo visitors with validation.
The legislative summary attached to Ordinance 2022-0216 refers to Mayo’s proposed facility as a clinic.
The lease has two five-year renewal options. Mayo would pay $49,152 per year in rent for the first year with a 3% annual increase. That rent would increase to $74,311 by year 15.
Mayo will pay the city $600 a month for the six parking cards. It also will pay monthly for the validated parking.
The Ed Ball facility would be Mayo Clinic’s first presence in Downtown Jacksonville.