House of healing and hope

After Tresha lost her sister, she struggled with depression, left a difficult situation with only a small suitcase, and eventually found herself homeless. She found encouragement, food, clothing, case management services and more through Mission House in Jacksonville Beach. She also felt comforted knowing she was no longer alone as staff lifted her spirits.

Maria received relief from migraines through the agency’s medical clinic, allowing her to enjoy life and outside activities again.

Tresha and Maria are just two examples of the hundreds of people Mission House helps with essential services to rebuild their lives. The nonprofit, which receives support from Baptist Health as part of the health system’s commitment to the community, provides a crisis care day program for the homeless and a free clinic for low-income individuals who don’t have health insurance.

Upgrades help serve more in need

New strategic investments from Baptist Health will help Mission House serve even more people.

Baptist Health has provided assistance to Mission House for more than 15 years for clinic services, funding for prescriptions, volunteer help and other needs. This fiscal year, an investment was made to help upgrade the commercial kitchen to increase the number and quality of meals. The kitchen upgrade, which will be completed this summer and will include additional storage, refrigeration capacity and prep space, will help the agency provide 15% to 20% more meals annually.

“We are incredibly blessed and so fortunate for our collaboration with Baptist Health,” said Lucas Seilhymer, executive director of Mission House. “We’re all out there trying to make a difference for all of our community members, from those who may happen to be homeless at this time to those who are working every day trying to take care of their families. As one community, we will continue to grow and thrive.”

A new Baptist Health Community Health Clinic Fund to assist free and charitable health clinics in Northeast Florida, including Mission House, also gives Seilhymer hope in reaching more people who are uninsured. Baptist Health earlier this year announced the fund at The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida with a strategic investment of more than $1.6 million.

“This has real-world implications,” Seilhymer said. “Most people we see are the ‘working poor’ who maybe working two part-time jobs or a full-time job that doesn’t offer health benefits. If we want to move the needle for the community, it takes all the community partners and players.”

Local uninsured exceeds national average

In Northeast Florida, the uninsured adult population is about 14.5%, or more than 140,000 adults, compared to 12% nationally, according to the Community Health Needs Assessment, a report created by Baptist Health and other local nonprofit hospitals to guide efforts to improve the region’s health outcomes.

The main goal of Mission House’s clinic program, Seilhymer added, is for people who don’t have health insurance to receive health services instead of waiting until they’re so sick they need to go to the Emergency Room.

Mission House has already seen an increase in people seeking services in all areas this year because of several factors, including rising housing costs, health challenges and economic instability.

The nonprofit, which started 30 years ago, served 35,000 meals last year, up from 25,000 in 2023, while the clinic has seen a jump from 147 people receiving primary care services in 2023 to about 340 patients.

For the homeless, crisis care services include an adult-only homeless day facility that provides breakfast, lunch and dinner along with case management, showers, job placement services, fresh change of clothes and more.

“Homelessness looks very different for a lot of our people,” Seilhymer said. “We have some people who have been on the streets for 25 years, and we have other people who have been living in their car because their rent was just so high that they had nowhere else to go.”

Team members at Baptist Medical Center Beaches see first-hand the community need and volunteer with the agency on a regular basis, preparing and serving food.

“We are here to care for our neighbors – inside the hospital and throughout the community – because a healthier community starts with showing up for one another,” said Jarret Dreicer, Baptist Beaches hospital president.

Keith Schissler, Baptist Beaches vice president of Operations and Baptist Health system director of Pharmacy, serves on the Mission House board. He said Baptist Health’s work with Mission House demonstrates the power of collaboration in creating a healthier Jacksonville Beach community.

“As both a hospital administrator and a proud board member of Mission House, I am continually reminded that good health starts long before a patient enters our hospital doors,” Schissler said. “Mission House plays a vital role in addressing our community’s most urgent challenges: homelessness and lack of insurance among low-income residents. When our team members volunteer to serve meals, they extend our mission of care beyond the hospital walls. Together, we are working to make hope, healing and well-being accessible to every person as an expression of God’s love.”

Learn more about Baptist Health’s commitment to improving health and well-being in Northeast Florida by working together with local nonprofit agencies to address a variety of needs. Read the Community Health Needs Assessment.