Nemours Children’s Health, Jacksonville celebrated the new Betty and Jack Demetree Family Center for Otolaryngology with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, May 7.
This center is the region’s only pediatric balance disorder specialty program and the area’s largest cochlear implant program. At 8,500 square feet, the new space also allows for a 30% increase in patient capacity, with comfortable, home-like spaces designed to support the needs of the whole family. New features include 12 exam rooms, three audiology rooms, a state-of-the-art rotary chair used to diagnose inner ear disorders through vestibular–balance testing, updated communications technology, and increased research capacity to foster the development of improved therapies for hearing loss, ENT disorders, and related conditions.
“The opening of the Betty and Jack Demetree Family Center for Otolaryngology strengthens our ability to meet the growing needs of children and families across Northeast Florida,” said Nemours Children’s Health President and CEO R. Lawrence Moss, MD, FACS, FAAP.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the fruits of a $6 million, multi-year capital campaign for this renovation and redesign, with the Jack C. & Betty A. Demetree Family Foundation’s $2 million gift in fall 2025 playing a lead role in making the center a reality.
“We’re honored to support the new ENT Center, which will offer children access to state-of-the-art technology and exceptional physician care,” said Lisa Demetree, president of the Jack C. & Betty A. Demetree Family Foundation.
The Thomas M. and Irene B. Kirbo Foundation, Ring Power, the Jaguars Foundation, Hugh and Wendy Durden, the Fowler Family and the Alfred I. duPont Foundation were other major contributors.
