Coverage of health initiatives, disease prevention, and local responses to public health challenges in Northeast Florida.
Featured image for “Two more fallen firefighters memorialized in Jacksonville”
Firefighters line up during Jacksonville’s Fallen Firefighter Memorial on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. Each helmet carries the name of one of the 28 who have died in the line of duty. | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today
December 11, 2025

Two more fallen firefighters memorialized in Jacksonville

Engineers Ian Church and Jason Woodruff died of cancers contracted in the line of duty.…

By Dan Scanlan

Featured image for “Baptist Health identifies food insecurity as community health challenge”
Feeding Northeast Florida received a $250,000 donation from Baptist Health to combat food insecurity in the region. The food distribution nonprofit says the money will fund 215,000 meals. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
December 8, 2025

Baptist Health identifies food insecurity as community health challenge

Baptist Health will fund 215,000 meals across its five-county service area as part of its commitment to eradicate food insecurity.…

By Will Brown

Featured image for “Duval DOGE requests telehealth documents”
Jacksonville City Council's Duval DOGE committee meets Tuesday, Nov. 18. 2025, in its investigation of the city's telehealth programs. | Mike Mendenhall, Jacksonville Today
November 18, 2025

Duval DOGE requests telehealth documents

Duval DOGE has questions about telehealth contracts after anonymous claims of misconduct.…

By Mike Mendenhall

Featured image for “Doctors lobby against scrapping vaccine mandates”
Dr. Nancy Staats, right, speaks against the elimination of vaccine mandates. She appeared Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025, before the Duval Legislative Delegation. | Michelle Corum, Jacksonville Today
November 13, 2025

Doctors lobby against scrapping vaccine mandates

Dr. Nancy Staats told the Duval Legislative Delegation that removing vaccine mandates could be disastrous.…

By Michelle Corum

Featured image for “Volunteers refurbish Five Star Veterans Center”
Volunteers from Rebuilding Together Greater Florida, The Home Depot Foundation and others rebuild the Five Stars veterans center gardens on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today
November 13, 2025

Volunteers refurbish Five Star Veterans Center

More than 70 volunteers pitched in from Home Depot, Rebuilding Together Greater Florida and other groups.…

By Dan Scanlan

Featured image for “Wolfson granted millions of dollars to fight pediatric cancer”
Mark Toney, vice president for medical affairs at Wolfson Children's Hospital, discusses the impact of $37.5 million in state funding for cancer research. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
November 3, 2025

Wolfson granted millions of dollars to fight pediatric cancer

Wolfson Children’s Hospital is one of four health care facilities to earn state grants for pediatric cancer research.…

By Will Brown

Featured image for “Drug-related deaths fall in Northeast Florida”
Pills spill out of a bottle in an arrangement photo of prescription Oxycodone. | Mark Lennihan, AP file
October 24, 2025

Drug-related deaths fall in Northeast Florida

Drug-related deaths locally and statewide decreased dramatically last year for a variety of reasons.…

By Dan Scanlan

Featured image for “Ascension St. Vincent’s will expand maternal telehealth”
More than 1,000 parents have participated in the Brigher Beginnings program that Ascension St. Vincent's has held on the campus of Edward Waters University on the second Saturday of each month. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
October 17, 2025

Ascension St. Vincent’s will expand maternal telehealth

Ascension received a telehealth grant that could help address infant mortality in Duval County.…

By Will Brown

Featured image for “Jacksonville health leaders back vaccine mandates”
Jacksonville's chief health officer, Sunil Joshi, speaks in 2023 | Casmira Harrison, Jacksonville Today
September 5, 2025

Jacksonville health leaders back vaccine mandates

Top medical officials say that ending vaccine mandates will erode decades of progress against preventable diseases.…

By Mike Mendenhall

Featured image for “Concerns mount over Florida’s vaccine plan”
A nurse prepares a dose of vaccine for injection. | Reuters
September 4, 2025

Concerns mount over Florida’s vaccine plan

Medical professionals say removing vaccine mandates could hurt public health and put children at risk for disease.…

By Jeff Martin - Associated Press, Mike Schneider - Associated Press and Daniel Kozin - Associated Press

Featured image for “Clay County charts a path for next five years”
Road improvements are among Clay County's goals. | Zac Gudakov on Unsplash
November 29, 2023

Clay County charts a path for next five years

The county is creating a long list of plans to improve health and safety, development, infrastructure, quality of life and…

By Steven Ponson

Featured image for “City sues two apartment complexes as ‘nuisances’”
Garbage is piled high around a dumpster at the Northwoods apartment complex in this image in the city's legal action against the complex. | City of Jacksonville
November 2, 2023

City sues two apartment complexes as ‘nuisances’

The city claims lack of maintenance and trash removal are endangering public health at Northwoods Apartments and Colonial Forest Apartments.…

By Dan Scanlan

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