Community Hospice & Palliative Care
4715 Worrall Way, Jacksonville, FL 32224 Mayo Clinic Florida campus
Phone: 866-253-6681
Hours: Open 24 hours, 7 days a week
The Alice and T. O’Neal Douglas Center for Caring is on the 5th floor of Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville, on the Southbank of the St. Johns River. For a family whose loved one is already hospitalized there, this is a move within the same building, to a dedicated inpatient hospice unit staffed entirely by Community Hospice & Palliative Care, organized around one purpose: comfort care, 24 hours a day, every day.
The Alice and T. O’Neal Douglas Center for Caring functions as a dedicated inpatient hospice unit, separate in purpose from the acute-care floors around it. Community Hospice & Palliative Care supplies all clinical staff: hospice physicians, registered nurses, hospice aides, licensed social workers, and chaplains. Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville provides the building. Community Hospice provides the inpatient hospice care.
What “dedicated” means in practice: no acute procedures, no rotating generalist staff, no competing clinical priorities. Every clinical decision is made with comfort as the goal. Family members can visit at any hour, without restriction. Overnight stays are expected, not exceptions.
For a family already inside Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville, a move to the Alice and T. O’Neal Douglas Center for Caring is a floor change, not a facility change. The patient stays in the same building. The family does not have to learn a new location or manage a cross-town transfer during an already difficult time.
Community Hospice & Palliative Care has served families across northeast Florida for 47 years and cares for approximately 1,500 patients per day across its 16-county service area. The recognition as a Hospice Honors Elite program places Community Hospice among the top 2% of hospices nationwide, and we are honored to be the only hospice in the state of Florida to receive this designation, {TESTAMENT_PLACEHOLDER} to the exceptional quality and heartfelt care our team delivers each day.
The Alice and T. O’Neal Douglas Center for Caring is one of nine inpatient Centers for Caring operated by Community Hospice across northeast and north central Florida.
Care at the Alice and T. O’Neal Douglas Center for Caring is delivered by an interdisciplinary hospice team that includes physicians, registered nurses, hospice aides, licensed social workers, and chaplains, available 24 hours a day, every day of the year. No one is ever denied services, regardless of their ability to pay.
Inpatient hospice care at the Alice and T. O’Neal Douglas Center for Caring is for patients whose pain or symptoms cannot be safely managed at home. The clinical team provides continuous nursing, medication management, and around-the-clock symptom control. When stabilization is reached, the care team works with the family on a transition plan: returning home or moving to appropriate ongoing care.
Respite care provides short-term relief for family caregivers. During a respite stay, the patient receives full inpatient hospice services on the unit. Medicare covers respite care for eligible hospice patients.
The clinical team specializes in palliative symptom control. Pain, breathing difficulty, nausea, and agitation are addressed through individualized care plans, with medication and treatment adjustments made in real time.
A licensed hospice social worker is assigned to every patient’s care team. Social workers assist families with insurance questions, benefits navigation, and discharge planning after the inpatient stay.
Chaplains provide non-denominational spiritual support to patients and families of all backgrounds, regardless of religious tradition. Spiritual care is a standard component of every interdisciplinary care plan on the unit.
Community Hospice provides bereavement support to families before and after the death of a loved one. Grief counseling and support groups are available at no additional charge as part of the Community Hospice care continuum.
The Foundation of Community Hospice & Palliative Care generates philanthropic and community support for patient care services, family needs and community programs.
The Alice and T. O’Neal Douglas Center for Caring is at 800 Prudential Drive, 5th Floor, Jacksonville, FL 32207. The main campus entrance is at the corner of Palm Avenue and Baptist Way, at the Borowy Family Critical Care Tower.
The Southbank sits directly across the St. Johns River from downtown’s Northbank. Two bridges serve the Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville campus.
Via the Main Street Bridge (US 1/US 90): Head south on Main Street across the Main Street Bridge. Continue south on Prudential Drive; the hospital will be on the right. Follow campus signage to the main entrance at Palm Avenue and Baptist Way.
Via the Acosta Bridge (SR 13): Cross the Acosta Bridge southbound on San Marco Boulevard. Turn left (east) on Riverplace Boulevard, then right (south) onto Prudential Drive. Follow hospital signage.
Travelers from Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach, Atlantic Beach, or Ponte Vedra Beach: take FL-202 (J. Turner Butler Boulevard / JTB) westbound and merge onto I-95 North. Take Exit 348 (Prudential Drive), turn left (west), and follow hospital signage to the main entrance at Palm Avenue and Baptist Way.
From Baymeadows / Philips Highway: Take I-95 North to Exit 348 (Prudential Drive). Turn left (west) onto Prudential Drive. Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville will be on the right.
From San Marco (already on the Southbank): Head north on San Marco Boulevard toward the river. Turn right onto Riverplace Boulevard, or continue to the Prudential Drive intersection. Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville is at the north end of the Southbank along the St. Johns River.
Northbound (from Southside, St. Augustine, or Daytona): Take Exit 348 (Prudential Drive). Bear right off the exit ramp, then turn left (west) onto Prudential Drive. Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville will be on the right. On-campus signage directs visitors to the main entrance and parking.
Southbound (from Northside, I-10, or Savannah): Take Exit 348 (Prudential Drive / Main Street Bridge). The hospital campus is immediately accessible from the exit. Follow hospital signage.
Complimentary guest parking is available in the P1 parking area. An 85-foot skybridge over Palm Avenue connects the P1 garage to the second-level lobby of the Borowy Family Critical Care Tower. Once inside, take the elevators to the 5th floor for the Alice and T. O’Neal Douglas Center for Caring.
For current parking details, the Community Hospice admissions team at 866-253-6681 can help before your visit.
The Southbank is served by the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA). The JTA Skyway connects the Northbank downtown core to Southbank stations including San Marco Station and Riverplace Station. The walk from the nearest Skyway station to Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville is substantial; visitors who rely on transit or have mobility concerns should plan their route at jtafla.com or contact JTA directly before traveling.
The Alice and T. O’Neal Douglas Center for Caring is open to visitors at all hours, with no time limits on stays. The hospice nursing team is on the unit around the clock.
All visitors sign in at the main hospital entrance and receive a visitor badge. After 8 p.m. and before 7 a.m., entry is limited to three designated hospital entrances; photo ID is required.
The unit has 10 private patient rooms, each with a private restroom. Family members can stay overnight using cots or hideaway beds in the patient room. Personal items, photographs, and familiar comforts are welcome.
Each patient room at the Alice and T. O’Neal Douglas Center for Caring has its own refrigerator, an amenity that few Community Hospice Centers for Caring offer. The family meeting area near the entrance also has a microwave and coffee service.
A Family Rest Room is on the unit. Complimentary washer and dryer access is available through the nurses’ station. Free guest WiFi and computer terminals are in family meeting areas.
The hospital campus has two on-site dining options for visitors. The Top of the Tower Cafeteria (Tower Building, 8th floor) is open Monday through Friday, breakfast 7-10 a.m. and lunch 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Bridges Cafe (Weaver Tower, 1st floor) is open seven days a week, 6 a.m.-1 a.m. A coffee shop is also on the 1st floor near the chapel.
The Reid Chapel is on the 1st floor of Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville, non-denominational, and open 24 hours. From the hospice unit, take the elevator down and follow signage toward the Emergency entrance; the chapel is just past the first-floor coffee shop.
Community Hospice & Palliative Care maintains a regional network of inpatient Centers for Caring and community offices throughout its 16-county service area in northeast and north central Florida. The Alice and T. O’Neal Douglas Center for Caring serves downtown Jacksonville and the Southbank; other Centers serve different parts of the region across Duval County and beyond.
For the full list, visit the Jacksonville hospice care page or the Community Hospice Centers and offices directory.
The Community Hospice admissions team is available 24 hours a day to answer questions and help coordinate inpatient hospice care at the Alice and T. O’Neal Douglas Center for Caring. Whether a loved one is already in the Community Hospice system or a family is reaching out for the first time, the admissions team at 866-253-6681 can help.
Alice and T. O’Neal Douglas Center for Caring
800 Prudential Drive,
5th Floor
Jacksonville, FL 32207
