In 2016, U.S. News & World Report named Wolfson Children’s Hospital among the nation’s top 50 hospitals for neurology and neurosurgery, and gastroenterology and GI surgery. Wolfson Children’s Hospital achieved Magnet status by the American Nurses Credentialing Center in 2007 and again in 2012 and 2017, an international recognition of excellence in patient care. A not-for-profit children’s hospital that serves 157,000+ patients from birth to 21 years of age annually, Wolfson Children’s Hospital offers 30+ pediatric medical and surgical specialities through its long-time partnerships with Nemours Children’s Specialty Care, Jacksonville, the University of Florida College of Medicine-Jacksonville, and Mayo Clinic Florida in Jacksonville.
History
In 1946, Morris David Wolfson wrote a letter to his sons, Sam Wolfson, Louis Wolfson, Saul Wolfson, Cecil Wolfson, and Nathan Wolfson asking them to build a children’s facility in Jacksonville, Florida. A $500,000 donation from the Wolfson Family Foundation led to the establishment of Wolfson Children’s Memorial Hospital, a 50-bed pediatric wing at Baptist Memorial Hospital in 1955. The hospital grew incrementally during its early years, particularly in 1971, when pediatricians with the Northeast Florida Pediatric Society signed an agreement stating that a consolidated center of excellence would be the best way to serve the region's children and families. In 1987, Wolfson and Nemours Children’s Specialty Care, Jacksonville, began their affiliation to better serve the area's children. Wolfson also began an academic affiliation with the University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville in the 1990s, training pediatric residents, fellows and other professionals in pediatric medicine. It is also serves as a pediatrics training site for physicians in the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. In 1993, a new Wolfson Children’s Hospital opened, offering a range of inpatient and outpatient services, including a level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; Pediatric Intensive Care Unit; Children's Emergency Center; and specialized programs such as pediatric oncology, radiology, pathology and research. Since 2011, the hospital has also expanded regionally, opening Wolfson Children’s Specialty Centers in Lake City, Florida; Daytona Beach, Florida; Brunswick, Georgia ; at the Baptist Clay Medical Campus in Fleming Island, Florida; and in Tallahassee, Florida. In 2012, Wolfson Children’s Hospital expanded with the opening of the new J. Wayne and Delores Barr Weaver Tower on the Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville campus. The hospital continues to expand its number of specialized services, and to provide child health advocacy outside of hospital walls through THE PLAYERS Center for Child Health, which offers education, childhood injury prevention, and legislative efforts to improve health care access for children.
Foundation
In 1985, the Baptist Health Foundation was created to assist in fundraising for Baptist Health. The Foundation coordinates gifts and fundraising for Wolfson Children's Hospital in addition to four adult Baptist Health hospitals. The hospital’s major fundraising event is the , an annual event that features a 55K Ultra Marathon, 55K Ultra Relay, 30K Individual Run, 1-Mile Fun Run, and family-friendly activities. Another signature event is , always held on July 25 each year, to collect toys and donations to help the hospital’s Child Life Department normalize the hospital experience and provide distraction through toy and play.
