About the Healthcare and Bioscience Council of Northeast Florida

The September 2007 Caring Community Conference, sponsored by the Center for Global Health and Medical Diplomacy (the Center) sparked a major regional initiative to enhance the individual and economic health of Northeast Florida. National and international experts convened with regional leaders in health and medical care, business, research, and education to discuss assets and issues in Northeast Florida’s healthcare and bioscience industries. Three days of presentations, debate and workgroup sessions on our assets and issues produced a list of our community’s best opportunities to foster the growth of health care and bioscience industries in Northeast Florida. Participants unanimously recommended that a Healthcare and Bioscience Council be formed to further study and address the recommendations.  

Of the 12 final recommendations from the 2007 Caring Community Conference, the two fundamental recommendations were to foster collaboration regarding patient care, research/education, public health, quality/safety and efficiency/reduction of barriers; and to increase funding in the areas of health care, bioscience and education. The 10 other recommendations are as follows:

Three Recommendations focus on Education:

Four Recommendations focus on Health and Medical Care:

Three Recommendations focus on Research and Bioscience:

The Healthcare and Bioscience Council of Northeast Florida (the Council) was formed in April 2008. The Council is comprised of diverse and dedicated volunteer leadership from the highest levels of institutions and organizations across Northeast Florida. The Center provides administrative support for the Council. The Council’s mission is to enhance the individual and economic health of Northeast Florida by implementing the community’s recommendations from the 2007 Caring Community Conference. The Council is committed to the belief that collaborative community action can enable northeast Florida to better utilize assets, address community health issues, and boost our regional economy through investment in life sciences. The Council works to empower Northeast Florida to compete nationally and globally as a center of excellence in health and medical care through regional efforts to improve patient care, enhance science and medical education, and grow our healthcare and bioscience Industries.

The Council is an asset locally and nationally, serving as an impetus for change in this community as well as a model for other cities striving to improve the individual and economic health of their citizens. These are critical years for America’s healthcare and bioscience industries. There is much the Council can do to assist in building a stronger Northeast Florida community: meeting the challenges of improving health and patient care, increasing access to care, reducing health disparities, advancing implementation of health informatics, fostering regional growth of bioscience and healthcare industries, and enhancing medical education and research in Jacksonville.

The 2008, 2009 and 2010 Caring Community Conferences presented opportunities for Council members to address the community, and invite community members to become increasingly engaged in the process of enhancing healthcare and bioscience in Northeast Florida. The fifth Caring Community Conference on September 14, 2011, provided an opportunity to assess progress since 2007, and define next steps for the future. For information concerning the past Caring Community Conferences, please visit the Conference webpage.