Health Care - Health, Fun, And Fitness
Whether you’re stopping in for a visit or staying for good, you’ll want to take advantage of Jacksonville’s indoor pursuits, and outdoor recreation. Apart from the well-subscribed leisure endeavors of running, beach sports and river sailing (see the Annual Events, Parks, and Boating and Watersports chapters for more on those), Jacksonville natives also love the freewheeling trifecta of cycling, yoga and dancing.
Forget the hotel treadmill; think downward-facing dog with an ocean view, or the downstroke of your bike pedal as you glide along the coast. And if you love the swirl of a skirt and the call of a tune, the city’s numerous folk dancing clubs invite all comers with pre-dance lessons and an all-are-welcome attitude.
So, whether you like your fitness speedy, spinning or contemplative, Jacksonville accommodates an active lifestyle with fitness options to spare.
Health Care - Health Care And Wellness
Rest assured. If you or your loved ones fall ill while visiting Jacksonville, you will get some of the best health care available. The city is blessed with some internationally renowned health care facilities, such as Mayo Clinic, Wolfson Children’s Hospital, and Nemours Children’s Clinic, a medical and surgical specialty clinic.
There’s been plenty of movement and change among Jacksonville’s hospitals in recent years. The state-of-the-art Baptist South (off I-95 at exit 335) opened in 2005 and has nearly doubled in size since then with additional new maternity facilities and a state-of-the-art, 14-bed, Level II, Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) that allows Baptist South to partner with the neonatal intensive care program at Wolfson Children’s Hospital.
1. Bliss Yoga Shala
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Health Care
Telephone: (904) 514-0097
Address: 1615 Thacker Ave.
2. Power Yoga—San Marco South
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Health Care
Telephone: (904) 655-4642
Address: 3825 Hendricks Ave. 32207
Description: Loosen up with Jacksonville’s folk dancing community. Dances for all levels and in all styles are going on around town throughout the week. In all cases, newcomers are welcome and lessons are available in the beginning of the evening before the dance starts in earnest. Other drop-in lessons and socials in all styles, too many to list here, are available throughout the city. A quick Internet search will turn up the latest additions and some new ones we Insiders don’t even know about yet.
3. Danceflorida Contra Dance
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Health Care
Telephone: (904) 396-1997
Address: 849 Park St.
Description: Learn the swings and promenades of contra dance and make some new friends in the process. Popular nationwide, contra dancing seems to be particularly popular in Jacksonville where dances draw folks of all ages and skill levels from teens to seniors. Head to Riverside Presbyterian Church every third Friday and dance from 8 to 11 p.m. Experienced locals teach dance basics at 7:45 p.m. Organizers ask for a donation of $7 for adults and $3 for those 18 and under to help pay for the live band and caller. Bring a food or beverage item to share and take a dollar off of your admission. Beginners and singles are heartily welcomed and may find their dance cards filled for the entire evening.
4. First Coast Shag Club
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Health Care
Address: 835 Museum Circle
Description: Come down to River City Brewing every Wednesday night for shaggin’ on the St. Johns with the First Coast Shag Club. Club members teach Carolina Shag Dance and dance to beach music until 10 p.m. The club offers free beginner and intermediate dance lessons and open dances. Intermediate shag lessons run from 7 to 7:30 p.m., basic shag lessons go from 7:30 to 8 p.m. There’s no cover charge and plenty of free parking and a breathtaking nighttime view of the city skyline.
5. St. Andrew’S Scottish Country Dance Of Jacksonville
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Health Care
Telephone: (321) 302-4152
Address: 3740 San Jose Place
Description: This group meets almost every Thursday evening at a local dance studio. Classes start promptly at 7 p.m. and continue until 9. Participants are asked to chip in $3 to pay for the hall. You do not need a partner to attend, and everyone is welcome. Organizers suggest that you wear soft-soled shoes such as leather dance shoes (ghillies) or ballet shoes. No street shoes are allowed in the dance room.
6. Open Road Bicycles Weekly Rides
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Health Care
Telephone: (904) 636-7772
Address: 4460 Hendricks Ave. (Miramar Center)
Description: Jacksonville’s friendliest local bike shop, Open Road offers group rides every evening except Sunday. Rides are organized by ability level, so just choose the level that’s right for your level of fitness and show up. In fact, come a little early to check out the store and meet some new friends. Weekly Road Ride Schedule:Monday: 6:15 p.m., 25 miles, 20-22 mphTuesday: 6 p.m., 45 miles, 30+ mphTuesday: 6:30 p.m., 20 miles, 18-20 mph, no drop (road bikes, please)Wednesday: 6:15 p.m., 25 miles, 20-22 mphThursday: 6:15 p.m., 25 miles, 20-22 mph, bridge workoutSaturday: 7:30 a.m., 25-40 miles, speed variesThe use of helmets and lights, as needed, is mandatory on all rides.
7. Baptist Medical Center/Baptist Health
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Health Care
Description: Baptist Medical Center is one of the largest health care providers in Jacksonville. Under the umbrella of Baptist Health, the Baptist Medical Center functions as a collection of medical facilities rather than one single hospital.
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Health Care
Address: 800 Prudential Dr.
9. Baptist Medical Center South
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Health Care
Telephone: (904) 271-6000
Address: 14550 Old St. Augustine Rd.
Description: In 2005, Baptist Health completed construction on Baptist Medical Center South to serve southern Duval and northern St. Johns Counties. As of 2009, Baptist South opened a new eight-story patient care tower, which added 76 new patient beds, including a state-of-the-art, 14-bed, Level II, Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in partnership with the neonatal intensive care program at Wolfson Children’s Hospital. The new patient tower adds 10 new maternity suites—bringing the total to 22—48 acute care beds, four more intensive care beds, and a new inpatient pharmacy. Baptist South now has 196 beds, more than double its size when it opened in 2005 with 92 beds. Baptist South is considered “the” place to deliver your baby in Jacksonville.
10. Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Health Care
Telephone: (904) 858-7600
Address: 3599 University Blvd. South
Description: Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital is a 143-bed, not-for-profit, acute physical rehab hospital that specializes in treating patients with brain injury, strokes, spinal cord injury, and comprehensive orthopedic problems. It is the eighth-largest rehabilitation hospital in the country and has 25 outpatient centers around town. Brooks is located at the corner of Beach and University Boulevards, next door to Memorial Hospital.
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Health Care
Address: 4500 San Pablo Rd.
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Health Care
Address: 3625 University Blvd.
13. Nemours Children’S Clinic
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Health Care
Telephone: (904) 697-3600
Address: 807 Children’s Way
Description: Located beside the Baptist Medical Center complex and connected to Wolfson Children’s Hospital, Nemours Children’s Clinic has more than 60 pediatric specialists on staff. The specialist physicians at Nemours treat more than 38,000 children each year. Nemours is not a hospital and has no overnight facilities; children requiring hospitalization are admitted to the adjacent Wolfson Children’s Hospital at Baptist Medical Center.Nemours is funded by a trust set up by the late Alfred I. duPont, one of Jacksonville’s most generous benefactors. DuPont’s desire to alleviate suffering lives on at Nemours, where children with severe medical conditions get treatment regardless of their family’s ability to pay. Nemours also provides health education to all through www.KidsHealth.org.
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Health Care
Address: 655 West Eight St.
15. St. Luke’S Hospital
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Health Care
Telephone: (904) 296-3700
Address: 4201 Belfort Rd.
Description: St. Luke’s Hospital is a 289-bed, not-for-profit, nondenominational hospital conveniently located near the intersection of I-95 and Butler Boulevard. It offers general acute-care services and specializes in medical and surgical procedures.St. Luke’s has been providing health care to Jacksonville residents since 1873, when it opened as Florida’s first private hospital. The hospital has come a long way from its original two rooms and four beds. In 2008, St. Vincent’s HealthCare took over operations of St. Luke’s Hospital, making additional resources available to the residents of Jacksonville’s Southside.