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 Center for Caring at Ascension St. Vincent’s Southside occupies the 5th floor of Ascension St. Vincent’s Southside Hospital in Jacksonville’s Southside neighborhood. For a family whose loved one is already a patient in that building, a transfer to the inpatient hospice unit is a move between floors, not a cross-town trip. The unit is staffed and run entirely by Community Hospice & Palliative Care, organized around one purpose: comfort care, 24 hours a day, every day.
The Center for Caring at Ascension St. Vincent’s Southside 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 Southside 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 comfort-focused 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 Southside 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 Southside 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 Southside is for patients whose pain or symptoms cannot be safely managed at home. The clinical team provides continuous nursing, medication management, and palliative symptom control around the clock.
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. The focus is palliative symptom control, not acute intervention.
Every patient’s care team includes a licensed hospice social worker. Social workers assist with insurance questions, Medicare and Medicaid navigation, and discharge planning. 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. Chaplaincy is a standard component of every care plan at the Center for Caring at Ascension St. Vincent’s Southside.
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.
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 Southside is at 4201 Belfort Road, 5th Floor, Jacksonville, FL 32216. The campus entrance is at the signalized intersection of Belfort Road and Southpoint Parkway.
Take I-95 South from downtown Jacksonville. At Exit 344 (SR 202 / J. Turner Butler Boulevard / Belfort Road), stay right to exit onto Belfort Road rather than the JTB flyover. Turn left (north) onto Belfort Road; the Ascension St. Vincent’s Southside campus entrance is on the left at Southpoint Parkway.
Take JTB (FL-202 / J. Turner Butler Boulevard) west toward I-95. Before the I-95 interchange, take the Belfort Road exit and head north. The campus entrance sits at the Southpoint Parkway intersection.
Head north on San Jose Boulevard to Baymeadows Road. Turn right (east) onto Baymeadows Road and continue east to Belfort Road. Turn left (north) onto Belfort Road and watch for the Southpoint Parkway turn into the campus.
The hospital sits just north of the I-95 / JTB interchange at Exit 344, making this the most direct approach from either highway.
I-95 southbound: Take Exit 344, stay right for Belfort Road (not the JTB east flyover). Turn left (north) onto Belfort Road. Campus entrance on the left at Southpoint Parkway.
I-95 northbound: Take Exit 344, follow ramps to Belfort Road and turn right (north). Campus entrance on the left at Southpoint Parkway.
Guest parking in Lot A off Belfort Road is free and open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Valet parking is available near the front entrance for patients who need assistance.
JTA Route 25 (San Jose / Southpoint) serves the Southpoint Pkwy / Belfort Road stop near the hospital campus. Route 25 runs between University Hub and the Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center downtown. Current schedules are at jtafla.com.
The Center for Caring at Ascension St. Vincent’s Southside is open to visitors at all hours, with no restrictions on how long family members may stay.
From the main hospital entrance, walk straight past the front desk and coffee shop to the bank of elevators at the end of the hallway. Take those elevators to the 5th floor. The Community Hospice nurses’ station is there; all visitors sign in and receive a badge to wear during their stay.
After 9 p.m., the hospital’s main entrance closes. Enter through the Emergency Department entrance, stop at the Security Office for a Visitor’s Pass, and a security officer will direct you to the 5th-floor hospice unit.
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.
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 1st-floor chapel near the main entrance is non-denominational and open to hospice families. It may also be used for memorial services, subject to availability.
A ground-floor Cafe serves visitors Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. A coffee shop on the main floor by the information desk is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. A gift shop on the ground floor next to the Cafe is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Patient meals are prepared by Ascension St. Vincent’s Southside 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 Centers for Caring 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 Center for Caring at Ascension St. Vincent’s Southside. Call 866-253-6681 any time.
Center for Caring at Ascension St. Vincent’s Southside
4201 Belfort Road, 5th Floor
Jacksonville, FL 32216
