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
When a loved one’s pain or symptoms can’t be managed at home, families need somewhere built specifically for this moment. The Anne and Donald McGraw Center for Caring is a dedicated inpatient hospice facility on the Mayo Clinic Florida campus in Jacksonville, operated by Community Hospice & Palliative Care as part of its network of Jacksonville hospice services.
This is not a hospital floor or a converted wing. The McGraw Center is its own building, designed for hospice care, with private rooms, 24-hour visiting, and staff whose only focus is comfort.
The Center for Caring at Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside is a dedicated inpatient hospice unit, distinct in purpose from every acute-care floor around it. Community Hospice & Palliative Care supplies all clinical staff: hospice physicians, registered nurses, hospice aides, licensed social workers, and chaplains. Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside 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 from other hospital departments. Every clinical decision on the unit is made with comfort as the goal. Family members may visit at any hour, without restriction. Overnight stays are expected, not exceptions.
Community Hospice & Palliative Care has served families across northeast Florida for 47 years and provides care to 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 Center for Caring at Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside is one of nine inpatient Centers for Caring operated by Community Hospice across northeast and north central Florida.
Care at the Center for Caring at Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside is delivered by an interdisciplinary hospice team that includes hospice 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 Center for Caring at Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside is for patients whose pain or symptoms cannot be safely managed at home or in their current care setting. The clinical team provides continuous nursing, medication management, and around-the-clock palliative symptom control. When a patient reaches stabilization, the interdisciplinary hospice team works with the family on a transition plan, whether that means returning home with community hospice services or moving to appropriate ongoing care.
Respite care provides short-term inpatient relief for family caregivers. During a respite stay, the patient receives full inpatient hospice services on the unit. The Medicare hospice benefit covers respite care for eligible patients.
Uncontrolled pain, breathing difficulty, nausea, and agitation are addressed through individualized care plans, with medication and treatment adjustments made in real time by the clinical team. The focus is palliative symptom control, not acute intervention.
Every patient’s care team at the Center for Caring at Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside includes a licensed hospice social worker. Social workers assist families with insurance questions, Medicare and Medicaid navigation, and discharge planning after the inpatient stay. They are also available to support families through conversations that are hard to have alone.
Chaplains on the unit provide non-denominational spiritual support to patients and families of all faith backgrounds and traditions, including families who do not identify with a religious tradition. Chaplaincy is a standard component of every care plan.
Community Hospice provides bereavement support to families before and after the death of a loved one. Grief counseling and community 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 Center for Caring at Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside is at 1 Shircliff Way, 4th Floor, Jacksonville, FL 32204. The campus sits in the Riverside/Avondale neighborhood along the St. Johns River, between Riverside Avenue and King Street.
Downtown Jacksonville lies immediately east of the Riverside neighborhood. Head west on Riverside Avenue, which runs along the St. Johns River and connects directly to Shircliff Way at the Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside campus. Shircliff Way is a short spur off Riverside Avenue leading to the main hospital entrance.
Take J. Turner Butler Boulevard (JTB / FL-202) west from the beaches to I-95 at Exit 344. From there, take I-95 north toward downtown, continuing past the I-10/I-95 interchange to Exit 352A. Riverside Avenue leads from the exit to Shircliff Way and the Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside campus.
Take I-10 east toward downtown, then connect to I-95 at the I-10/I-95 interchange and use Exit 352A (Riverside Avenue) southbound to reach Shircliff Way and the hospital campus. Alternatively, exit I-10 west of downtown and follow Park Street or Riverside Avenue east to the campus.
The Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside campus sits near the convergence of I-95, I-10, and Riverside Avenue at the Fuller Warren Bridge.
I-95 southbound: Take Exit 352A, signed as Forest Street / Riverside Avenue. Follow Riverside Avenue south to Shircliff Way, then turn onto Shircliff Way to reach the main entrance.
I-95 northbound / I-10 eastbound: Connect to I-95 and use Exit 352A as above.
Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside has three parking garages on campus. The De Paul Garage, on Shircliff Way east of the main entrance, is closest to the 4th-floor hospice unit. The Dillon Garage is at the corner of Riverside Avenue and Shircliff Way. The King Street Garage is on the west side of campus at King Street and Riverside Avenue, directly across from the Emergency Department.
Garage parking is $3 per day, free after 5:30 p.m. or with a nurse-validated ticket. Valet is available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., near the front entrance for $5. This is the only Community Hospice Center for Caring where visitors pay for parking. Rates are set by Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside, not Community Hospice; confirm current rates with the admissions team at 866-253-6681 before your visit, as fees may change.
The Center for Caring at Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside is accessible by Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) bus service. Route 16 (Riverside/Wilson) serves Riverside Avenue; the nearest stop is at Riverside Avenue and Barrs Street, approximately a 4-minute walk from the hospital campus. The First Coast Flyer (FCF) Orange Line, JTA’s Bus Rapid Transit corridor through the Riverside and Avondale neighborhoods, also stops along Riverside Avenue near the campus.
Current routes and schedules are at jtafla.com.
The Center for Caring at Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside is open to visitors at all hours, with no restrictions on how long family members may stay. The Community Hospice nursing team is on the unit around the clock.
After entering the main hospital entrance, walk straight ahead through the hallway. To the left when facing the gift shop, use elevator bank “B” to reach the 4th floor and the Community Hospice inpatient hospice unit.
After 8:30 p.m., the hospital’s main entrance doors close. Enter through the Emergency Department entrance on King Street and stop at the Security Office; a security officer will escort you directly to the 4th-floor hospice unit. All visitors sign in at the Community Hospice nurses’ station on the 4th floor and receive a visitor badge to wear during their stay.
Each patient room is private, with its own restroom. Every room includes a reclining chair and a sofa so family members can remain through the night, plus a refrigerator for family use.
A family lounge is on the unit with a quiet room for reflection directly adjacent. The lounge kitchenette has a microwave, water, coffee, and ice. A complimentary washer and dryer, free guest Wi-Fi, and a computer terminal are also available on the unit.
The hospital’s chapel is on the 1st floor near the main entrance, available at any time and suitable for memorial services. The quiet room off the family lounge also serves as a space for reflection and private time.
Two on-campus dining options serve visitors throughout the week. The Dillon Cafe is on the 1st floor of the Dillon Building, open Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Berg’s Bistro is on the 1st floor of the De Paul Building, open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Patient meals are prepared by Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside hospital chefs.
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. For the full list, visit the Jacksonville hospice care page or the Community Hospice locations directory.
The Community Hospice admissions team is available 24 hours a day to answer questions and help coordinate inpatient hospice care at the Center for Caring at Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside. Call 866-253-6681 to reach the admissions team any time.
Center for Caring at Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside
1 Shircliff Way,
4th Floor
Jacksonville, FL 32204
