Representatives from St. Vincent’s HealthCare traveled last week to the TPC Sawgrass Clubhouse, where officials from THE PLAYERS Championship presented the hospital with a new mobile health unit to be used as part of St. Vincent’s Mobile Health Outreach Ministry.
THE PLAYERS mobile health unit – which features the iconic TPC Sawgrass island green emblazoned on the side – will become the fifth such unit to bring fully staffed doctors offices on wheels to areas of the community where health care services are most needed, including to rural areas, urban communities, and to children in local middle and high schools.
“Because of THE PLAYERS, children and families will have access to medical services,” said Jane Lanier, president of the St. Vincent’s HealthCare Foundation. “Thank you for caring more about others than you care about yourself. It’s what THE PLAYERS does every day.”
St. Vincent’s CEO Tom Vanosdol noted that THE PLAYERS mobile health unit is unique in that it will be the first of St. Vincent’s mobile units equipped to offer vision services as well as general medical care.
“This is a wonderful day for St. Vincent’s and a wonderful day for the individuals who will be served by the essential health care services this mobile health unit provides,” he said. “Through this unit, people will receive the gift of better sight who otherwise would do without. And these services are only possible because of the generosity of partners like THE PLAYERS.”
Jared Rice, executive director of THE PLAYERS Championship, credited the tournament’s nearly 2,000 volunteers with enabling THE PLAYERS to make donations such as the mobile health unit.
“We are very fortunate to be able to provide a great charitable impact to Northeast Florida charities thanks to our volunteers,” said Rice, praising the tournament’s volunteer leadership, including 2017 Tournament Chairman Kevin English for orchestrating the army of volunteers that enables THE PLAYERS to donate millions of dollars each year to local charities.
Optum donation
A special highlight of the May 3 event occurred when Vito Augusta of health care company Optum presented St. Vincent’s with a $50,000 check to support the work of the Mobile Health Outreach Ministry.
“A lot of what Optum does involves breaking down barriers to health care access,” Augusta said, “and that’s right in line with the work of the mobile health units.”
