UF Health St. JohnsCare Connect Celebrates Expansion

St. Augustine, Fla. – January 23, 2020 – UF Health St. JohnsCare Connect celebrated its recent expansion with a ribbon cutting on Tuesday, January 21st. Elected officials, area leaders, community partners, UF Health St. Johnsstaff and board members gathered at the organization’s new location, which houses Care Connect’s program offerings, several partners as well as community education space. UF Health St. Johnsestablished Care Connect to link area residents with available services and address social determinants of health in a coordinated way throughout St. Johns County. By aligning community resources into a single access point, Care Connect increases coordination and access of available resources. UF Health St. JohnsCare Connect also serves as the lead agency for the Continuum of Care with an aim to end homelessness.

“Care Connect has seen tremendous growth in recent years in both staff and scope,” commented Executive Director, John Eaton. “In the last twelve months, we have expanded to include 41 community-based organizations that collectively served 4,927 clients. A number of new programs were also launched, including BRAVE – Be Resilient and Voice Emotions – a collaboration with the St. Johns County School District to reduce stigma and increase access for youth behavioral health resources. BRAVE was made possible through a $1 million grant from THE PLAYERS.”

Through the efforts of Care Connect, members of the community are able to gain access to a wide variety of necessities, from food, prescriptions, to housing, transportation, utilities and more, which is something UF Health St. JohnsPresident & CEO says is an effort that relies heavily on a collective effort of partners and supporters.

“No one should have to decide between paying their light bill or getting their medication,” commented UF Health St. JohnsPresident & CEO Jason Barrett. “Care Connect was designed to support our vision to advance physical, social and economic health, but we realize we cannot do this alone. Thankfully, the spirit of collaboration runs deep in our community and our partners came forward from the very beginning to help ensure the social health needs of every person in St. Johns County, whether they are a patient of Flagler or not, are met. Together, we are ending homelessness, feeding the hungry, managing chronic diseases, providing

medications, transportation and helping our youth navigate through the challenges of adolescence. And for that, I say thank you.”

About UF Health St. JohnsCare Connect

UF Health St. JohnsCare Connect was established to link area residents in need with available services and address social determinants of health in a coordinated way throughout St. Johns County. By aligning community resources into a single access point, Care Connect increases coordination and access of available resources. For more information, visit stjohnscareconnect.com

About Flagler Health+

UF Health St. Johns is a total-care enterprise aimed at advancing the physical, social and economic health of Northeast Florida communities. From working with area schools to address youth behavioral health to bringing a new concept in health villages throughout the region, UF Health St. Johns is building healthier communities. UF Health St. Johns is an extension of UF Health Flagler Hospital, which has a 130-year legacy of caring for the community. Learn more at flaglerhealth.org.