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Teaching Health Center graduates (from left to right) Drs. Morgan Biggs, Jenny Parra, Gabriella Edington, Mary Kerwin, Stainley Williams, Giselle Rodriguez-Alvarez, Niurka Nuñez, Rose Ternie-Andris, and Yeily Hernandez-Mato are all smiles on their big night.

“Tonight is a beautiful night!” said Blake Hall, President and CEO of Community Health of South Florida, Inc. (CHI), as he opened the 10th Anniversary Gala of the Brodes H. Hartley, Jr. Teaching Health Center Graduation Ceremony. “As we gather today, we reflect on a journey marked by growth, innovation, and unwavering dedication to medical education.”

On June 8, family, friends, and honored guests filled the grand ballroom at the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel to celebrate a decade of distinction and CHI’s commitment to training the next generation of healthcare providers. The ceremony featured keynote speakers, Teaching Health Center alumni, and senior leadership who highlighted the program’s success. Hall paid a heartfelt tribute to dedicated faculty, residents, staff, and partners for their tireless efforts. “Over the past 10 years, our Teaching Health Center program has been a beacon of excellence, nurturing the next generation of healthcare leaders and transforming the landscape of healthcare,” Hall said. “Our residents have become a catalyst for change, and I extend my deepest gratitude for everyone’s efforts.”

Established in 2014, under the leadership of former President and CEO Brodes H. Hartley, Jr., CHI was the first community health center to become a teaching health center in the state of Florida. The program achieved institutional accreditation from the American Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) in 2017 and has trained 100 diverse residents who have gone on to practice and change lives across the country.

The gala also celebrated the graduation of nine family medicine and psychiatry residents. These residents faced the unique challenge of beginning their resident program during an unpredictable pandemic and enduring long nights of studying and training. Now, they are prepared to enter the world of healthcare as practicing physicians. Chief psychiatry resident Dr. Gabriella Edington offered a hopeful message to her fellow residents as she reflected on their time at CHI and offered advice for their future as they embark on this new journey together.

“In my life and in my time here in residency, I have grown so much in hard places and uncomfortable situations,” she said. “This is honestly where I grew up the most. I needed to be uncomfortable. So, let us all refuse to grow and walk in anything but gratitude and peace. It benefits everyone we encounter.”

Among the graduating residents, Drs Yeily Hernandez-Mato and Rose Ternie-Andris, will remain on board with CHI and continue to treat patients in the South Florida community.

The evening was a celebration not only of the past decade but also of the bright future ahead. The Brodes H. Hartley, Jr. Teaching Health Center remains committed to its mission of supporting the next generation of healthcare providers and ensuring that quality healthcare is accessible to all. With a decade of success complete, the future looks promising for CHI and its community.

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It feels like summer is flying by. I hope you are enjoying your time with your families and remembering to take precautions in the extreme heat.

We’ve had so much to celebrate this summer. On June 8, we marked the 10th Anniversary of the Brodes H. Hartley, Jr. Teaching Health Center with a grand gala celebration and graduation ceremony. This was the eighth class to graduate, and it makes me emotional to see how much this program has grown since its humble beginnings in 2014. This incredible milestone wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication and talent of the Teaching Health Center clinicians and staff. Together, we are changing lives for years to come!

Soon after, we welcomed nine new residents who began training with a white coat ceremony.

As many of you prepare to send your kids back to school, CHI is here to help. Schedule your school or sports physical now with our compassionate pediatric team. Also, make an appointment with our amazing vision and dental teams to cover all the bases for your kids.

We’re excited to celebrate National Health Center Week with festivities starting August 5th. This is a time to highlight the value of community health centers across the country, including Community Health of South Florida, Inc. (CHI). Did you know that community health centers care for 31 million people across the country? With more than 1,400 community health centers in the United States, CHI is one of the largest, helping to improve the health and well-being of medically underserved communities. We are proud to care for our community and ensure that everyone has access to high-quality healthcare, regardless of income or background. Join us in learning more about CHI, the people we serve, community health centers, and celebrating a week’s worth of events.

You can see the schedule at: chisouthfl.org/nationalhealthcenterweek

Beyond this, we all need to advocate for community health centers to ensure this valuable resource remains available for the communities we serve.

Visit hcadvocacy.org to find the latest information on how to support health centers, and call, message, or visit your congressional leaders to tell them that you support long-term funding and want to make sure that some of the most vulnerable people can get high-quality healthcare.

Yours Truly,

 

 

 

Blake Hall

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Community Health of South Florida, Inc. (CHI) is committed to providing high-quality healthcare, including behavioral health services. Access to great care is important to provide individuals with the mental health support they need. CHI continues to hold a high standard of care after receiving a $4 Million Certified Behavioral Health Clinic grant awarded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA). Officially launched on March 18, this grant has helped to improve the quality of services, reduce obstacles to care, and make healthcare more accessible for our patients.

“This is the gold standard for behavioral health services,” said Jean D. Pierre, Executive Vice President and Chief Behavioral Health Officer. “We are extremely excited that we are able to provide these services to the community.”

The program, located at Martin Luther King, Jr. Clinica Campesina Center and Everglades Health Center, provides a full range of mental health, substance use disorders, and primary care screening services to patients, ensuring that services are integrated and person and family-centered. Since the start of the program, the CCBHC staff, which includes therapists, psychiatrists, case management, and outreach workers, have provided services for 383 patients. An amazing accomplishment, according to CCBHC Administrator, Lisette Mira.

“The roll-out has gone really well! Patients have been open to receiving information, especially on how it impacts their care,” Mira shared. “We have been providing therapy and psychiatry services as well as attending various events in the community to get the word out about the services we offer.”

The CCBHC program worked with the Outreach department for Mental Health Awareness Month this May, attending community events in Homestead and Florida City. The program has also prioritized having a presence within CHI health center lobbies, with the sole purpose of providing important information to patients and connecting them to behavioral health services.

Mira explains that this is a critical time because the program is still in its beginning stages. There is a focus on making sure staff are trained in up-to-date practices.

“We have additional training that is scheduled for our staff this summer to ensure that we’re meeting CCBHC criteria,” she said. “We want everyone on our team to provide care with a trauma-informed lens to a diverse population with cultural awareness training.”

Even under the pressures of meeting this gold standard, program directors are already looking to the future to improve care for patients. In December, at the 6-month mark of this program, the CCBHC team will perform progress checks on patients to guarantee that they have improved and received housing stability and primary care and were connected to appropriate care throughout the 6 months. This will make sure that patients in high-risk situations and behaviors are getting better. The program is also in the process of forming therapy support groups for patients in both Spanish and English.

“We can make a big impact in the community,” said Mira. “This staff is wonderful, and they really do have that multidisciplinary approach. We help each other ensure we provide our patients the full scope of services.”

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Kettley Derys

Kettley Derys has been a dedicated Patient Advocate at CHI for 30 years. As an advocate, she works directly with patients to ensure that their medical needs are met. This includes providing emotional support to patients, offering transportation assistance to CHI health centers and helping them schedule their appointments. Based at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Clinica Campensia Center, Derys also travels to other CHI locations and attends OB/GYN appointments and births at Homestead Hospital. Over the past 30 years, she has enjoyed interacting with patients and helping those who are in need. Derys is passionate about helping others, especially through the COPE program that assists teenage mothers who are still in school. Derys cherishes time with her family, enjoys swimming, and loves to read.

 

Dr. Mitra Shafieian

Dr. Mitra Shafieian is a board-certified pediatric doctor at CHI’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Clinica Campesina Center. Dr. Shafieian got her start at CHI in 2015 at the Tavernier Health Center before transferring during the pandemic. She provides care to patients ages newborn to 21 years old, mostly serving the migrant population. She prides herself on being a bridge to comprehensive care for her patients when they visit CHI. It gives Dr. Shafieian great satisfaction to serve others who may be uninsured or underinsured and have nowhere else to go. She values working not only as a team but as a family with fellow staff. Dr. Shafieian grew up and studied medicine in Iran and has two loving sons whom she loves dearly. When she is not serving her community, she spends her time walking, reading and cooking.

 

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Nearly 100 golfers gathered on April 8th for CHI’s Annual Golf Tournament at the picturesque Deering Bay Yacht and Country Club. However, this was not just any ordinary day on the green. Participants were treated to an awe-inspiring partial solar eclipse! The spectacular event provided golfers with a unique opportunity to look up at the sky with special solar eclipse glasses to view the rare sight of the moon passing directly in front of the Sun. NBA All-Star legend, Glen Rice, was blown away by the celestial spectacle.

“I have never seen it like that,” he said. “I put the glasses on and it’s dark and suddenly, I spot the sun and the moon having their little intertwine. That is amazing!”

Golfers did not just observe history on this day—they also contributed to a wonderful cause of supporting children in the community. More than $100,000 was raised and will directly aid children who are facing severe mental health crises.

“The community has wanted the Children’s Crisis Center for as long as I have been at CHI, which is almost 20 years,” said CHI President and CEO, Blake Hall. “To make this finally, almost a reality, is wonderful. Construction is underway and the metal pillars should be arriving within the next month!”

The Children’s Crisis Center is scheduled to open in 2025 and will be the first of its kind in south Miami-Dade.

Click here to check out more photos from the 2024 CHI Golf Tournament