Deering Bay Yacht & Country Club, a world-class South Florida Private Club and home to a breathtaking 18 hole, par-71 Arnold Palmer Signature Course

For the first time, Community Health of South Florida, Inc.’s Glen Rice Celebrity Golf Tournament will tee off from the exclusive Deering Bay Yacht and Country Club. The May 16, 2022 golf tournament will help make a lasting impact on the lives of the children in our community, as the proceeds will benefit the opening of the Children’s Crisis Center.

With just under $517,000 left to raise, CHI is nearing a fundraising goal of $5.5 million to open the Children’s Crisis Center, an 11,400-square-foot state-of-the-art facility that will serve nearly 1,000 children annually experiencing mental health crises in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.

“The golf tournament is a wonderful, two-way approach for connecting the community with the purpose of CHI,” said Victoria Castro, CHI’s Director of Development. “Every dollar counts toward getting us to the finish line.”

This year, attendees will enjoy the tournament at a picturesque golf course designed by Arnold Palmer that boasts stunning waterfront views and tropical wildlife in an exclusive part of Miami.

CHI supporters have come out every year to enjoy the Glen Rice Celebrity Golf Tournament as sponsors and attendees. For the second year in a row, One Digital has been the tournament’s presenting sponsor and for the third year in a row, Quest Diagnostics has also sponsored the tournament.

“These are corporate leaders who continue to show up for CHI year after year because they understand the importance of our mission,” said Blake Hall, President and CEO. “We could not be more grateful to them for their unwavering commitment to helping us get to the finish line and open the Children’s Crisis Center.”

This year has been dubbed the year of the superhero. The nonprofit is recognizing its donors and supporters for their superhuman support to make this project a reality.

That includes first-time sponsors as well, such as Tampa-based healthcare tech company DeliverHealth, which is heading out to the green this year.

“Everyone’s support goes a long way,” said Castro, noting how much progress CHI has made in the last two decades since the inception of the Glen Rice Celebrity Golf Tournament. “It’s going to be a turning point in getting us close to concluding the campaign. It’s our big push for 2022.”

Whether or not you’ll be taking a swing on the green at the tournament this year, there is still an opportunity to become a CHI Superhero for the Children’s Crisis Center. Every donation holds a superpower that will lead CHI to the completion of this important center.

The Glen Rice Celebrity Golf Tournament will take place on May 16, 2022, at the Deering Yacht and Country Club with registration starting at 10:30 a.m. and tee-off at 12:30 p.m. It will also include dinner and an awards ceremony!

To sign up and learn more, visit chisouthfl.org/golf.

With the pandemic continuing to uproot our community’s sense of normalcy, one population is increasingly struggling with mental health in the midst of it all– our kids.

For children between ages 10 and 17 years old, the rollercoaster between being removed from school and being placed in virtual learning has resulted in huge gaps in social development.

Dr. Pratt is the Behavioral Health Medical Director at CHI and specializes in pediatric psychiatry. He says peer-to-peer relationships in this age group are crucial.

“This is when we develop relationships and figure out who we are,” said Dr. Pratt. “And really, we do this at school.”

When it comes to depression, stress, and anxiety, our children and adolescents may not be equipped to verbalize these feelings. Many times when they do, parents may end up dismissing them. Dr. Pratt points out this can be a missed opportunity to intervene and provide the behavioral health services the child needs.

Other times, parents may notice a change in their child’s behavior, such as isolating themselves, or not taking pleasure in things they used to enjoy doing. Dr. Pratt notes that parents and caretakers must also look after their own mental health during the pandemic.

“Parents also need to take care of their own mental health,” said Dr. Pratt. “Kids learn how to cope with things by watching their parents.”

Low-income households are often the most affected, but least supported in Florida. “Unfortunately, our system isn’t designed to help children until they’ve reached a breaking point,” said Dr. Pratt. “That’s why it’s crucial to maintain awareness of our kids’ well-being, making sure to intervene at the earliest stages.”

“It’s so much easier to address issues when they’re in the infancy stages, rather than when it becomes chronic.” CHI offers behavioral health services for children and adults at most of its health centers and via telehealth.

“CHI has really stepped up in getting more behavioral health professionals,” said Dr. Pratt, who adds that CHI’s telehealth services can also make a difference in how our kids are coping with the pandemic. In order to serve children who are struggling with severe mental illness in south Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, CHI is opening the Children’s Crisis Center in 2022.

“Unfortunately, when a child is in crisis, they may sit in the ER for three or four days before they’re even able to get into a bed,” said Dr. Pratt. “The Children’s Crisis Center is going to be a wonderful resource for the area because south of here to the Keys, there’s not a place for kids to go.”

In the meantime, Dr. Pratt said that acknowledging our children’s resilience and ability to overcome challenges through the pandemic can help them cope.

“Kids are much more resilient than we give them credit for,” Dr. Pratt said. “We forget how hard it is to be a child. It’s important to acknowledge that.”

CHI Key West Health Center is located at

727 Fort Street, Key West, FL 33040.

For more information visit:

chisouthfl.org/keywest-health-center

or call (786) 272-2160

The sun is beginning to set in Key West as a vibrant Junkanoo band makes its way down Fort Street in Bahama Village in a bustle of bells, whistles, and drums.

The band concludes with a round of applause erupting in front of the brand new CHI Key West Health Center. It is CHI’s 12th health center in South Florida and the third in Monroe County—marking a significant milestone: to serve Monroe County residents with a health center in the lower, middle, and upper Keys.

Dignitaries from the city of Key West and Monroe County and local residents gathered with CHI leadership and professionals to reflect on the significance of this center for the surrounding community.

CHI’s former CEO, Brodes Hartley, Jr. spoke at the event, noting that patients can expect high-quality, reliable care and services at the Key West Health Center.

“It doesn’t matter whether they have insurance or do not have insurance, whether they have money or do not have money,” said Hartley. “We are dedicated to providing services to the entire community.” CHI President and incoming CEO, Blake Hall, echoed Hartley’s sentiments, adding that this health center has been a longtime goal of CHI.

“I remember in 2007 when CHI was invited into the Keys,” Hall noted. “This has been something that we’ve been dreaming about and here we are. Today is it!”

The CHI Key West Health Center is now open to the public and plans to offer primary care, pediatrics, behavioral health, OB/GYN, dental, and telehealth services to the community.

When Dr. Ora L. Strickland stood up in a Capital Campaign Committee to announce her generous donation of $10,000 she created momentum and inspiration. Her gift toward the Children’s Crisis Center (CCC) paved the way for others to do the same and to reignite the path towards creating a desperately needed place for children with severe mental illness.

Community Health of South Florida, Inc. (CHI) and Community Health Foundation are extremely grateful to Dr. Strickland for her guidance and participation on the committee and for her wonderful donation.

Dr. Strickland is Dean and Professor at the Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Florida International University in Miami, Florida.  She is the Founding Editor of the Journal of Nursing Measurement, and she initiated the Nursing Citation Index, which was subsequently integrated into CINAHL, a leading nursing search engine.  She was one of the founders of the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute for Nursing Research.

“I am very proud to give my support to CHI and the Children’s Crisis Center,” said Dr. Strickland. “The center is extremely important for the overall health of our community. It has been so rewarding to work side by side with my fellow capital campaign committee members and with the CHI leadership team.  I have seen how every donation counts and takes us closer to bringing this center to a reality. Knowing that we are only $529,000 away from reaching our $5.5 million goal, I was personally inspired to do my part.”

The CCC will be the first comprehensive center of its kind in southern Miami-Dade.   The 11,400 square foot facility will provide a haven for children suffering from mental illness. This in-patient, 24-hour, 20-bed facility will house a team of board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrists, mental health clinicians, social workers, and counselors. The medical team will provide full-service comprehensive mental health care for children up to 17 years of age, regardless of their ability to pay.

“CHI is so fortunate for the support and gift from Dr. Strickland. She has been an exemplary advocate for the center and the need for increased mental health services and we cannot thank her enough. She is a true superhero,” said Blake Hall , President and CEO of CHI.

For more information on the Children’s Crisis Center and how you can join our circle of supporters please visit https://www.chisouthfl.org/give/ or call 786- 293-5504.

After nearly 40 years with this outstanding organization, this will be my last CEO message.  I am retiring at the end of 2021. It’s an emotional moment for me, on a professional and personal level after pouring my heart and soul into CHI for so long.

As I look back at the milestones of my tenure here, I am so proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish for the people of South Florida. 

I arrived at CHI on May 14, 1984 after the Chairman of the Board, Odell Johns, recruited me as Executive Director. At the time, there were just two centers: The Doris Ison Health Center and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Clinica Campesina Health Center. The staff was comprised of county and CHI employees working side by side, a challenge in itself, that eventually we overcame.

These were difficult times. Most of CHI’s funding back then was coming from the county and annual budget hearings were trying. 

I also learned that sometimes out of the ashes, new life can bloom. In 1992, Hurricane Andrew destroyed our community. But it provided an unexpected opportunity to expand healthcare.  As a result of federal dollars, we were able to open health centers in the Everglades and South Dade farm worker communities. In addition, we were able to purchase the Martin Luther King, Jr. Health Center annex building and open a new site in Naranja. That was the beginning of phenomenal growth for this organization. Then, with the Affordable Care Act, opportunities for new access points became available. We leveraged that funding to open centers in West Kendall, South Miami, and Coconut Grove.

Also worth noting, in 2007 we expanded into the Florida Keys for the first time, at the invitation of Fisherman’s Hospital. Then, under the Affordable Care Act, we were able to establish a center in Tavernier. This led to the mantra of “we are always in a growth mode!”

Beyond new locations, I am proud of the new services that we have added over time. Today we provide a comprehensive array including primary care, pediatrics, OB/GYN, behavioral health for children and adults, dental, vision, pharmacy, a mobile dental unit and mobile medical van. We are accredited by the Joint Commission for primary care and behavioral health. We are recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance as a patient centered medical home. Plus, we have received numerous awards and recognition for the outstanding services that we have been able to provide to the community: the healthcare hero award from Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, recognition of phenomenal growth by Chamber South, and many more. 

As I prepare for my retirement, I am confident of the continued excellence of service with the new President and CEO, Blake Hall. He has been with the organization for more than 16 years and has extensive knowledge of CHI and federally qualified health centers. In fact, he was recently appointed as secretary of the board of the National Association of Community Health Centers.  

I will always have a special place in my heart for CHI and take pride in my continued affiliation with it.

Warm Holiday Wishes,

Brodes H. Hartley Jr.