JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Ascension St. Vincent’s hosted its Medical Mission at Home event Saturday at the Prime Osborn Convention Center, offering free health and wellness services to uninsured and underserved members of the Jacksonville community.
The event marked its first return since the COVID-19 pandemic. Services ranged from diabetes education and cardiology screenings to foot washing.
“Our Daughters of Charity started this over 100 years ago,” said Scott Kashman, interim market lead for Ascension St. Vincent’s. “They came to the community. This is not just an event – this is a pathway where we can better serve the health needs of Jacksonville.”
Caitlin Brunell, president of the Ascension St. Vincent’s Foundation, spoke to the broader mission behind the event.
“It’s really that mental, emotional, and spiritual connection that all of us deserve,” Brunell said.
Willie Roberts, manager of Ascension St. Vincent’s Faith Community Nursing, said community outreach is at the heart of the work — and that financial pressures make events like this more important than ever.
“If you’ve been in the marketplace lately, the prices of food and vegetables [are] astronomical,” Roberts said.
Patients echoed that sentiment. Shawna and Walter Elkins attended the event and said the rising cost of living has made access to free care a necessity.
Ascension St. Vincent’s hosted its Medical Mission at Home event Saturday at the Prime Osborn Convention Center, offering free health and wellness services to uninsured and underserved members of the Jacksonville community. (Ben Schubert/News4JAX photojournalist)
“I don’t have any insurance, so coming here being able to get at least checked out and see what’s going on — that’s a big help for me,” Shawna said.
The event also offered practical resources such as shoes and food to take home from Feeding Northeast Florida. Patient Matthew Ryan said the experience left a lasting impression.
“I would say it was a very nice experience seeing all the different booths, all the people receiving help,” Ryan said. “I really love what they’re doing here. Really love it.”
Ascension St. Vincent’s has several locations that offer primary, emergency and advanced specialty care across Northeast Florida.
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