Florida Blue-Cleveland Clinic deal and ER expansion plans lead Jacksonville health updates
Jacksonville, FL – March 3, 2026 – Florida Blue-Cleveland Clinic deal, new ER expansion updates, and measles totals keep planning in focus this week.
Florida Blue members in Jacksonville received a late-week contract update that could affect specialty appointments across the state.
Health insurance: Florida Blue and Cleveland Clinic reach a new agreement
Cleveland Clinic said Feb. 27 that it secured a new agreement with Florida Blue, keeping Cleveland Clinic providers in-network for members with employer-sponsored plans, Health Insurance Marketplace coverage and many Medicare Advantage plans.
The announcement followed reporting that the two sides faced a contract deadline and that, without a deal, some Florida Blue members could have seen Cleveland Clinic Florida become out of network. Florida Blue said coverage was guaranteed through May while talks continued, according to Health News Florida.
Hospitals and emergency care: new sites and expansions in the pipeline
A Northeast Florida development roundup published Feb. 27 described more than $1 billion in regional health care investment, including projects tied to emergency access and patient flow in Duval and neighboring counties.
Among the recent openings, the report highlighted HCA Florida Memorial Hospital’s freestanding emergency room on Merrill Road in Arlington and HCA Florida’s stand-alone emergency room in St. Augustine, which includes private rooms, trauma capacity and on-site imaging such as CT, ultrasound and X-ray. The same report also outlined Baptist Health’s long-term McGehee Family Tower project, planned to expand adult and pediatric emergency space over time, and a joint-venture inpatient rehabilitation facility managed by Brooks Rehabilitation that is expected to open in spring 2027.
Outbreak watch: measles activity remains elevated
Statewide, the Florida Department of Health’s weekly reportable-disease update showed measles diagnoses rising from 92 (Feb. 14) to 114 (Feb. 21), with Duval and St. Johns among the counties that have reported cases this year, according to CBS Miami reporting.
Nationally, the CDC reported 1,136 confirmed measles cases in 2026 as of Feb. 26, with data updated Feb. 27.
Public health note: extreme drought and wildfire risk
St. Johns County Emergency Management issued a Feb. 27 public safety update citing extreme drought and elevated wildfire risk across Northeast Florida. The county urged residents to avoid recreational burning during windy conditions and to follow Florida Forest Service burn authorization requirements.
Sources
https://newsroom.clevelandclinic.org/2026/02/27/cleveland-clinic-and-florida-blue-secure-new-agreement
https://www.wusf.org/health-news-florida/2026-02-26/florida-blue-cleveland-clinic-florida-face-sunday-deadline-to-reach-new-contract
https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2026/feb/27/part-i-northeast-florida-health-care-development-update/
https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/florida-measles-cases-jump-third-most-in-country/
https://www.cdc.gov/measles/data-research/
https://www.sjcfl.us/extreme-drought-elevates-wildfire-risk-feb-2026/
If you have urgent symptoms, seek medical care. For general questions, talk with a licensed clinician.
