By HFT Staff

Nemours Children’s Health, Jacksonville, hosted the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Betty and Jack Demetree Family Center for Otolaryngology, a facility that will provide ear, nose and throat (ENT) care to pediatric patients in the region. 

Spanning more than 8,500 square feet, the new center features upgraded clinical spaces that increase patient capacity by 30 percent. The center is also home to the area’s largest cochlear implant program and the only pediatric balance disorder specialty program in Northeast Florida. It will serve as a robust research and training hub for future ENT physicians and audiologists. 

The design of Betty and Jack Demetree Family Center for Otolaryngology creates spaces that are comfortable and have a home-like feel that will be supportive of the needs of the whole family, ensuring the best possible outcomes for children. 

As the largest ENT care provider for local children, Nemours Children’s now offers a modernized space to serve more families in need of ENT diagnostic and treatment services. New features include: 

Three new audiology rooms to test for hearing problems 

• 12 new exam rooms 
• New rotary chair, a state-of-the-art computer-controlled device used to diagnose inner ear disorders through vestibular (balance) function testing 
• Updated communications technology to serve the needs of children with hearing loss 
• Increased research capacity to develop better therapies for ENT disorders, hearing loss and related conditions