The Sacred Heart Hospital OF Gulf County IS
CLOSER TO BEING A REALITY

The St. Joe Community Foundation Presents Third $500,000 Installment

PORT ST. JOE, Fla. (January 16, 2008) – The St. Joe Community Foundation (STJCF), represented by vice president, Clay Smallwood, presented a $500,000 check to the Sacred Heart Health System Foundation today. This was the third installment of a $5 million grant to construct the new Sacred Heart Hospital, which is expected to be complete in spring 2009. To date, The St. Joe Community Foundation has contributed $1.5 million to the Sacred Heart Hospital and plans to donate an additional $3.5 million in the next eight years.

“We’re excited to being one step closer making this new hospital a reality and are grateful for our partnership with the St. Joe Community Foundation who is making this financially possible,” explains Dr. Henry Roberts, president, Sacred Heart Health System Foundation.

The Sacred Heart Health System Foundation was busy in 2007 as they continued fundraising efforts and are just over $2 million in donations from institutions, businesses and individuals, not including STJCF’s $1.5 million in grants thus far. There is significant behind-the-scenes work to build a new healthcare facility aside from the actual construction, and Sacred Heart Health System Foundation has been working diligently this past year to achieve these necessary components.

In the New Year, residents will see substantial progress toward the new hospital as the site is very close to being prepared; Greenhut Construction Company has been hired to oversee the project and last week held a job fair in Port St. Joe. At the job fair, Greenhut brought the hospital plans and gave local contractors the opportunity to bid and potentially participate in the total job. The deadline for bids is set for early February and Gulf and nearby Franklin County residents will see the construction of the hospital begin in the spring.

“A lot goes into building a new healthcare facility; it is a very careful process to achieve the best possible facility for the residents of Gulf and nearby Franklin Counties,” notes Dr. Roberts. “We want to provide a healthcare system that works, is safe and leaves no one behind.” 

St. Joe Community Foundation also presented a $100,000 check to the Sacred Heart Health System Foundation; the seventh payment of a $1 million pledge for the Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast. In addition to their original pledge, STJCF has pledged an additional $600,000 to the Women’s Center, bringing their total commitment to the Sacred Heart Health System Foundation for the Emerald Coast to $1.7 million.

About The St. Joe Community Foundation

The St. Joe Company (NYSE: JOE) created The St. Joe Community Foundation (STJCF) in 1999 to invest in community initiatives that pay long-term returns on the quality of life in ten counties in Northwest Florida: Bay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Wakulla and Walton.

Since its inception, STJCF has provided grants totaling more than $14 million to organizations in the region. Grants to date for 2008 total $600,000. STJCF’s unique funding structure is based on payments from sales in specific JOE communities within the region. Payments to The Foundation continue each time the properties are resold. In this way, JOE and the property owners who live in JOE neighborhoods partner with the community for the betterment of the entire region.

Focused primarily on education, regional health care delivery, arts and culture and parks and recreation, STJCF grants are based on building civic infrastructure and providing ongoing improvements in the region through grants and initiatives that promote teaching and learning to create healthier communities. To learn more about STJCF, log on to www.stjcf.org. 

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