Jacksonville Awarded State Grant to Promote Local Medical Industry

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Jacksonville Awarded State Grant to Promote Local Medical Industry

2/12/2015
Visit Jacksonville, the City’s Official Tourism Marketing Office, and its local medical partners, including Mayo Clinic, University of Florida Health Proton Therapy Institute, Ackerman Cancer Center and Market Staging Inc., were awarded a $99,200.00 matching grant by Visit Florida to promote Jacksonville’s award winning medical industry to new patients and medical convention planners. Visit Jacksonville and its medical partners will match and exceed the grant amount for a total of more than $200,000.00 in funds to market the city as a leading destination for medical tourism.

Home to an extraordinary network of high profile healthcare facilities, Jacksonville has plenty of options for patients across the globe to choose from including one of only three Mayo Clinics, one of the first Proton Therapy Cancer Treatment Centers in the world, and the first private physician owned Proton Therapy Center.

“Being sick is a delicate and complicated situation. We want to help patients make their journey to wellness at least a little bit easier by letting them know that our city has the medical infrastructure and the overall appeal to help them and their families heal,” said Paul Astleford, President and CEO of Visit Jacksonville.

Visit Jacksonville’s data finds the estimated economic impact for medical tourism in the city is more than $23Million annually. Medical Meetings and Conventions are also a big revenue maker. Between 2013 and 2014 they generated close to $30Million for the Jacksonville economy.

The Visit Florida Medical Tourism Marketing Grant will be used for the following:

$12,500.00 Awarded for Medical Meetings & Training Marketing
$86,700.00 Awarded for Destination Marketing
$104,100.00 Committed by Visit Jacksonville and its medical partners to match the grant
Total: $203,300.00

Jacksonville was the only destination in the state to receive a marketing grant to promote both its medical industry to new patients and promote the city as the ideal location for medical meetings and conventions. Florida destinations and medical facilities could apply for either grant or both.

"The University of Florida Health Proton Therapy Institute attracts patients from across the U.S. and around the globe for the unique cancer treatment and medical expertise we offer. The grant enables us to reach a new audience and make the life-saving treatment available to more patients, “added Stuart Klein, Executive Director, UF Health Proton Therapy Institute.

25 Destinations and Facilities applied and received a share of Visit Florida’s Medical Tourism Marketing Grant. $3.1 Million were awarded in grants across the state.

New print and web ads plus other innovative marketing strategies are currently under development by Visit Jacksonville and its medical partners in the grant process.

About Visit Jacksonville
Visit Jacksonville is a nonprofit marketing organization contracted by the Duval County Tourist Development Council (TDC) to champion the growth of business and leisure tourism in Northeast Florida. Along with its nearly 400 tourism partners, Visit Jacksonville supports a vital and growing component of the local economy – generating $2.2 billion in direct and indirect economy impact annually and supporting 22,000 jobs that span every sector of the economy. For a closer look at all there is to see and do in Jacksonville, go to www.VisitJacksonville.com or contact 800-733-2668.

Contact:
pjimenez@visitjacksonville.com