The Caring Community

The most important thing is caring, so do it first, for the caring Physician best inspires hope and trust.
Sir William Osler

Click here for more on the Caring Community Conference 2009

Click here for more on the Caring Community Conference 2008

Click here for more on the Caring Community Conference 2007

The Caring Community Initiative was born of a desire to  improve the individual and economic health of the northeast Florida community, enhancing quality of life and accelerating growth in research, education, biomedical science and technology.   This page features information about the Center’s work on the Caring Community Initiative, and detailed information on Caring Community events sponsored by the Center.

As individuals and communities, we unanimously desire to achieve good health, to sustain it, to prolong life and live free from disease, despair, and disability.  We believe that Health = Wealth, and that individual health is irrevocably intertwined with economic health for communities and nations.

To achieve good health, the medical profession has long upheld three fundamental, unifying, and enduring traditions: Caring, Ethics and Science.   Through the Caring Community Initiative, those traditions have been extended and applied to our regional concerns for improved medical and economic health.  The name “Caring Community” was inspired by a quote from Sir William Osler which states: “The most important thing is caring, so do it first, for the caring physician best inspires hope and trust.” 

With a focus on Caring, Ethics and Science, the first Caring Community Conference was convened in September 2007.  Community leaders were called from all fields to collaborate in an evaluation of health assets and issues, and to develop a plan to enhance quality regional health and medical care and advance growth in biomedical science.  Twelve Final Recommendations resulted from that conference.  The Healthcare and Bioscience Council of Northeast Florida (the Council) was created to study and implement those recommendations.  The Council gave its first report to the community at the second Caring Community Conference, held in September 2008.  The third Caring Community Conference was held in September 2009.