Jacksonville's health care system has an approximately $2.5 billion annual impact on the local economy. There are more than 2,300 physicians in the area, 19 clinics, and 5 major general hospitals: University Medical Center, Baptist Medical Center, St. Luke's Hospital, St. Vincent's Medical Center, and Columbia Memorial Hospital.
Jacksonville is home to a branch of the renowned Mayo Clinic, which provides medical diagnosis, treatment, and surgery in more than 50 specialties. Opened in 1986, the Jacksonville facility was the first extension of Mayo Clinic of Rochester, Minnesota. Between 1986 and 2003, its 316 staff physicians and scientists treated approximately 665,000 patients. In 2002 the clinic opened the doors of the Griffin Cancer Research Building, its first facility devoted primarily to cancer research. Patients of the Mayo Clinic who need hospitalization are admitted to nearby St. Luke's Hospital, a 289-bed facility that affiliated with Mayo Clinic in 1987.
Also affiliated with the Mayo Clinic of Jacksonville is the Nemours Children's Clinic, an ambulatory care center that provides subspecialty services for children with complex medical or surgical problems. Sixty pediatric specialists treat 38,000 children each year. The clinic, located on south bank of the St. Johns River, is connected to the Wolfson Children's Hospital.