President’s Message

This is one of my favorite times of the year as we celebrate all that community health centers bring to our nation and our neighborhoods. National Health Center Week (NHCW) is August 5th through August 10th. During this week we will highlight the mission and strengths of community health centers and the valuable resources that they provide. Health centers play a key role in the health of underserved communities. Community Health of South Florida, Inc. (CHI) has provided more than 1,200 jobs and cared for nearly 83,000 patients. Almost 65 percent of those patients are low income.

Each day of National Health Center Week we will shine the light on different areas in which community health centers have made tremendous strides. Some of those areas include healthcare for the homeless, for agricultural workers, healthcare for children and much more.

This is also the time of the year when summer is coming to a close and children prepare to start a new and fulfilling school year. That’s why CHI is hosting school physical days in Monroe County on August 10th and in Miami-Dade County on August 17th. Physicals are just $35, sports physicals are $35 without an EKG and with an EKG a sports physical is $50. Of course, most of that is covered under insurance. But you don’t have to wait until those dedicated dates. You can come in and get the same rates leading up to the start of school. Make sure to bring your child’s immunization forms.

I would like to encourage you and your family to become an advocate for the growth and progression of health centers. Visit www.hcadvocacy.org/takeaction/ to learn more about ways to get involved. On this site you can contact your senator or representative to express your opinion on the urgent issues and legislation that affect funding of community health centers. Become the voice that will help cultivate the culture of advocacy around the country by becoming informed with different tools created to endorse the pivotal responsibility of our health centers.

Finally get ready to roll the dice and join us for an evening of winners. The CHI Foundation is hosting Casino Night on Saturday, September 7, 2019 at Christ the King Lutheran Church Hall. The event is always a blast with delicious food, drinks and casino games, all for a great cause.

As many of you know, CHI is working on constructing a Children’s Crisis Center to provide children with short term, residential, intensive behavioral health treatment. For more information on tickets and ways to become an event sponsor visit www.chisouthfl.org/casino/. It is important that we as a community help our youth suffering from mental roadblocks that affect not only their present, but their future as well.

Sincerely,

Brodes H. Hartley Jr.

President and CEO