The Healthcare and Bioscience Council of Northeast Florida (the Council) resulted from a unanimous recommendation at the 2007 Caring Community Conference, which was hosted by the Center for Global Health and Medical Diplomacy at UNF.  The Conference convened over 100 northeast Florida community leaders from medicine, health care, education, business, government, and research.  The purpose of the conference was to discuss northeast Florida’s health issues, identify healthcare, medical, and bioscience assets, and make specific recommendations to enhance the individual and economic health of the region.  The Council will address the Final Recommendations from that conference, to improve the individual and economic health of our region.  The Center was instrumental in the formation of the Council, and the Center Director currently serves as Council Chair. 

The Council’s mission and goals are complimentary to those of the Center, as the Center seeks to improve health and medical care globally, while the Council works regionally in northeast Florida.  Both the Center and the Council are committed to the belief that collaborative community action can enable northeast Florida to better utilize assets and address community health issues and inadequacies.  Addressing these assets and issues will enhance the individual and economic health of the community through improved medical care and bioscience growth, thus empowering the region to compete nationally and globally as a center of excellence in bioscience and medical care.

The Council is an asset locally and nationally, serving as the 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.  This is a critical time for healthcare, medical care, medical education, research and the biomedical industry in the U.S.  There is much the Council can do to meet the challenges of access to care, disparities in health and wellness, much needed advances in Health Information Technology, Quality and Safety, and so much more.  The Center and the Council will work together to build a stronger northeast Florida community.

Forming a Council is the Essential Next Step
Addressing the Recommendations from the 2007 Caring Community Conference, Sept. 26 - 28, 2007

The 2007 CARING COMMUNITY CONFERENCE was held September 26 – 28, 2007, at Amelia Island, Florida. Over 100 community leaders from medicine, health care, education, business, and research convened for the three day conference. Leaders met to discuss northeast Florida’s health issues, identify healthcare, medical, and bioscience assets, and make recommendations to enhance the individual and economic health of the region.  Twelve Final Recommendations resulted.  Participants agreed that the No. 1 priority and "essential next step" would be to form a Healthcare and Bioscience Council to further study and begin to implement the recommendations.  The Center for Global Health and Medical Diplomacy was tasked with creating a Steering Committee to form the Healthcare and Bioscience Council. 

Learn more about the 2007 Caring Community Conference...
View the 2007 Caring Community Conference Summary Brochure

Founding Members of the Council Announced
at the Caring Community Conference Update, April 29, 2008

On April 29, 2008, community leaders gathered at the University of North Florida for the Caring Community Conference Update, to hear an update report on the progress that has been made since the 2007 Caring Community Conference including the work of the Steering Committee to form the Healthcare and Bioscience Council. .

The Steering Committee of the Healthcare and Bioscience Council announced the founding members of the Healthcare and Bioscience Council of Northeast Florida. Members are northeast Florida community leaders who have broad experience in healthcare, education, business, and bioscience. Carol Thompson, Chair of the Steering Committee to form the Healthcare and Bioscience Council, made the announcement at the Caring Community Conference Update Luncheon, held at the UNF University Center.

The Council’s role will be to prioritize, guide and support a collaborative work group process to study and implement the 12 Final Recommendations that resulted from the 2007 Caring Community Conference. Council Chair, Dr. Yank Coble, stated "The formation of the Healthcare and Bioscience Council is an essential step toward achieving the Center’s mission of collaborative action for improving health and medical care as well as enhancing the biomedical industry."

Of the 12 Final Recommendations, 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:

These 12 Final Recommendations resulted from the discussions and workgroup sessions held over the three days of the 2007 Caring Community Conference. This conference was built on the premise that there are significant and highly effective health care, medical care and biomedical assets in the northeast Florida region. Through enhanced community understanding and collaborative action, Northeast Florida should be better able to address serious health issues in the community, enhance our health as well as our medical care and bioscience industries, and compete nationally and globally as a center of excellence in bioscience and medical care.

Videos of the CCC Update, April 29, 2008
Video part 1
Video part 2

Status Reports from the Healthcare and Bioscience Council of Northeast Florida
at the 2008 Caring Community Conference, September 17, 2008

The 2008 Caring Community Conference, Sept. 17-18, 2008, held at the University of North Florida University Center, presented an opportunity for the Council to address the community and provide Status Reports.  Two panel discussions (Patient Care Panel, and Education and Research Panel) addressed the ways in which healthcare reform may impact health, medical care and biomedical industry in the northeast Florida region. Members of the Healthcare and Bioscience Council of Northeast Florida and other regional experts served as panelists. Each panelist discussed a specific recommendation from the 12 Final Recommendations of the 2007 Caring Community Conference. A Question and Answer period followed the panel discussions.

Learn more about the 2008 Caring Community Conference...

Reports from the Patient Care Panel
The Patient Care Panel included Mr. Hugh Greene, Dr. Robert Harmon, Dr. Helen Jackson, and Dr. Floyd Willis.

Improving Access to Care
Mr. Hugh Greene,  President and CEO, Baptist Health
Mr. Greene reported on the development of the JaxCare pilot program, a multi-payor public-private partnership funded by government, providers, businesses and employers to provide access to care for the working uninsured of Jacksonville (estimated to be 100,000 and 120,000 people).  The JaxCare program was effective, and community collaboration was extraordinary; however the program was not scalable or sustainable and it closed in June 2008. 

A new medical home model is being explored as a replacement for JaxCare, which would provide the continuity of care that exists when patients have a relationship with a primary care doctor.  Funding sources are critically needed.  Mr. Greene noted the need to celebrate the many people, organizations, and clinics that are committed to making a difference by improving or providing access to care in Jacksonville and have done so for many years.  The common thread is partnership and collaboration.

Health and Wellness
Dr. Helen Jackson, Director of Community Nutrition Services, Duval County Health Dept.
Dr. Jackson explained that improving health and wellness requires the collaborative efforts of the entire community and its resources, including business partners.   She elaborated on two specific collaborative initiatives in Jacksonville: childhood obesity and infant mortality. 

The Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition was formed to prevent and reduce childhood obesity in Duval County.  The Coalition successfully implemented Body Mass Index (BMI) screening in Jacksonville public schools and compiled a guide of local resources for families of overweight children. 

The Jacksonville Community Council Infant Mortality Study (www.jcci.org) looked at Jacksonville’s exceedingly high, racially and socio-economically disparate Infant Mortality Rate (IMR).  The study found that the greatest direct cause of infant mortality is the birth of premature and underweight babies due to poor health of the mother.  The Study produced 15 recommendations to reduce infant mortality, including education, awareness, making healthcare services affordable, and attending to a woman’s health prior to pregnancy. 

Reducing Health Disparities and Inequities 
Dr. Floyd Willis, Chair of Family Medicine, Mayo Clinic  
Dr. Willis explained the enormous complexity of the health disparities problem in the US, noting that every major disease category disproportionately affects the less affluent or the racial minorities.  Racial and socioeconomic inequalities in health must be addressed in order to move forward building individual and economic health in the community.

Dr. Willis complimented all regional hospitals and clinics for the work being done on disparities issues.  He described a new health disparities project in Jacksonville, the Community Research Advisory Board (CRAB) which works to address the questions of healthcare disparities through the community members that suffer most from disparities, examining the complex issues of access to care, genetics, environment and behavior. 

Advancing Health Information Technology
Dr. Robert Harmon, Director, Duval County Health Dept.
Dr. Harmon advocated more rapidly adopting major changes in Health Information Technology (HIT) to improve healthcare access and quality, and contain costs. He noted that Florida is underinvested in health, especially for the uninsured, and he suggested the Council work to

• Increase delivery of preventive services 
• Increase primary care medical homes 
• Improve lifestyles
• Increase and improve HIT systems

Dr. Harmon reported on the regional state of HIT, noting that most area hospitals and large group practices have modern electronic health records.  Many partners in Jacksonville are leading the expansion of e-prescribing.   Most recently, the NEFL Health Information Consortium including the Duval County Health Department and Duval County Medical Society obtained a Health and Human Services grant for a Medicare Electronic Health Records Demonstration Project to be implemented in 2009.

Reports from the Education and Research Panel
The Education and Research Panel included Judge Susan Black (by video), Mr. Marshall Criser, Dr. Robert Nuss, and Mr. Art Wotiz.

Increasing Medical Residencies
Judge Susan Black (by video), Federal Judge of the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
Judge Black explained that a critical global shortage of physicians is predicted, as many physicians are among the 79 million baby boomers heading toward retirement over the next 15 years.   One way to address that shortage of physicians is by increasing medical residency programs, as statistics show that 60% of graduating doctors decide to reside and practice in the region where they complete their residency training.

Medical Education
Dr. Robert Nuss, Dean, Regional Campus, University of Florida College of Medicine,   
Associate VP for Health Affairs, University of Florida Health Science Center, Jacksonville
Dr. Nuss explained that the US medical education system is under significant stress.  To  address the coming medical manpower shortage states are increasing the number of regional medical campuses, building new medical schools, and adding residency positions to existing programs.  Dr. Nuss noted that the annual cost of training a resident is approximately $88 thousand dollars per resident, not including faculty salaries. 

Dr. Nuss elaborated on current problems in medical education including:  decreasing state and federal funds for education; lack of funding for additional residency positions; increasing competition for faculty; increasing debt for medical residents; a new policy instituting an 80 hour work rule, reducing resident training hours and work output; and a critical shortage of  medical student clerkship spots.  Dr. Nuss speculates that future residents may need to pay, rather than be paid, to perform a residency. 

Establishing a Regional Bioscience Academic Institute in Jacksonville
Mr. Marshall Criser, Past-president of the University of Florida
Mr. Criser provided an excellent historical summary and analysis of the circumstances leading up to the recruitment and startup of a subsidiary of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) in Palm Beach County.  Governor Jeb Bush initiated the process with Scripps and the legislature appropriated $310 million to support the operational start up costs.  Palm Beach Country was largely selected because of the opportunity for philanthropic support in that area.  Scripps will be housed in a building on the Jupiter campus of Florida Atlantic University with opening planned for the first quarter 2009. Two additional California research centers announced soon thereafter that they will be opening satellites in Florida. The Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Science will open a facility in Port St. Lucie and the Burnham Institute for Medical Research will open a laboratory in association with the University of Central Florida in Orlando. 

Mr. Criser commented that the area’s outstanding healthcare resources, the consolidated government of Duval County coupled with the collaboration within the Northeast Florida region will benefit the long term development of the healthcare and bioscience industry.

Establishing a NEFL Bioscience Industry Campus
Mr. Art Wotiz, President & CEO NovaBone Products, LLC (NBP)
Mr. Wotiz explained that NEFL resources, including outstanding universities, hospitals, and research facilities, an educated workforce, low taxes, and an excellent quality of life, should serve as a major attraction to hi-tech businesses to form a NEFL Bioscience Industry Campus in Jacksonville (similar to the Research Triangle in NC).  The city of Jacksonville has already funded a medical tourism initiative, all of which will enhance the individual and economic health of the community.

View the 2008 Caring Community Conference Agenda Book

View video of Patient Care Panel

View video of Education and Research Panel

View the 2008 Caring Community Conference Summary Brochure