JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Local health care professionals are getting a boost in financial support from the state.
Visit Jacksonville and its medical partners have been awarded a nearly $100,000 medical marketing grant from Visit Florida.
It's money that will be used to promote the city's existing medical infrastructure. It will also be used to promote the city itself as a destination for the health care industry as a whole.
From 2013 to 2014, Visit Jacksonville reports medical tourism pumped nearly $30 million in new revenue into the city.
Jacksonville is home to one of three Mayo Clinics in the country and one of the first institutes for proton therapy at UF Health.
The marketing grant is a matching grant, so the total amount is approximately $200,000.
Visit Jacksonville and its medical partners will be teaming up to pitch in to complete the match.
Their efforts will include training and marketing to attract new patients and new health care conferences and meetings.
New print and online ads and other marketing strategies are already in development.
