News Releases

Jacksonville, Fla. (Nov. 23, 2020) – At a ribbon-cutting ceremony, officials, doctors, patients, donors and friends celebrated the dedication of THE PLAYERS Lobby at Nemours Children’s Specialty Care in Jacksonville. The $3.5-million renovation represents a total refresh of the space, the first major renovation project since the clinic opened in 1991. THE PLAYERS donated the lead gift of $500,000, which renamed the Nemours lobby, which serves as the gateway into the clinic to more than 100,000 patients and families each year when they come for appointments including complex care medical expertise.

“The transformational gift from THE PLAYERS gave us the opportunity to elevate the lobby to reflect a more inviting and warm environment, and the excellence of care we at Nemours offer our patients and families,” said Dr. Gary Josephson, Chief Medical Officer of the clinic.  “We look forward to future opportunities to work with these great partners.”

“THE PLAYERS is honored to support Nemours’ leading efforts in improving the lives of children and families across Northeast Florida and beyond,” said Jared Rice, Executive Director of THE PLAYERS. “This new lobby is symbolic of the quality, excellence, and compassionate care patients receive, and we are honored to help welcome them when they enter these doors.”

In keeping with Nemours Children’s Health System’s approach to integrate patients and families in designing new spaces, families joined team meetings to help inform the decision-makers about functionality of the space. Patient arrival sequences were studied to improve the flow through the front doors and reception area, resulting in easier access entry to the elevators leading to the clinic.

Among the new and refurbished features of THE PLAYERS Lobby at Nemours Children’s Specialty Care are:

• New entrance sliding doors and wayfinding, allowing for ease of entry.

• Open-floor plan and new windows allowing more light and accentuating the location on the St. Johns River.

• A new café for visitors and employees with riverfront, outdoor seating.A donation from the Hodges family, the Hugs from Hunter 3 Café honors their three sons who passed away after battling the same rare disease, dyskeratosis, a genetic form of bone marrow failure, which has been identified in fewer than 30 cases worldwide.

• Upgraded accessibility, including adjusted heights for tables and seating, and new family restrooms on the ground floor.

• The Florida Blue Art Gallery – Through a gift from Florida Blue, art pieces from 30 Nemours patients, themed “connecting communities,” are displayed in the shape of the Jacksonville skyline. The art work, produced through the creative activities and art services offered to Nemours patients, will rotate on an annual basis

• The Family Education Zone – a designated space for reading, play or taking phone calls between appointments, thanks to a gift from Dr. Michael Erhard, Physician-in-Chief for Nemours Florida, and his wife Lynn.

• The lobby’s landmark model train. Thanks to a $50,000 gift from the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund, the beloved train is getting a new display case, allowing better accessibility for the retiree volunteer group who change the train décor seasonally

• Enhanced access to the outdoors and butterfly garden.

Nemours is the sponsor of the Kids Zone at THE PLAYERS Championship, the PGA TOUR’s flagship event that takes place each March in Ponte Vedra.

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About Nemours Children’s Health System

Nemours is an internationally recognized children's health system that owns and operates two free-standing children’s hospitals: the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Del., and Nemours Children's Hospital in Orlando, Fla., along with outpatient facilities in five states, delivering pediatric primary, specialty and urgent care. Nemours also powers the world’s most-visited website for information on the health of children and teens, KidsHealth.org, and offers on-demand, online video patient visits through Nemours CareConnect. Nemours ReadingBrightstart.org is a program dedicated to preventing reading failure in young children, grounded in Nemours’ understanding that child health and learning are inextricably linked, and that reading level is a strong predictor of adult health.

Established as The Nemours Foundation through the legacy and philanthropy of Alfred I. duPont, Nemours provides pediatric clinical care, research, education, advocacy and prevention programs to families in the communities it serves.