United Health Foundation Awards $1 Million To Support Jefferson Reaves, Sr. Health Center In Miami

“I applaud United Health Foundation and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine for their collaborative efforts to help Jefferson Reaves, Sr. Health Center improve health care for thousands of people in Miami’s Overtown neighborhood,” said Florida Representative Cynthia A. Stafford (D-Miami). “Having access to high-quality, affordable care regardless of income and age makes a critical difference in people’s health and has far-reaching benefits for the livelihood our communities.”

United Health Foundation has provided the funding to the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine since 2004 to support the university’s efforts at the Jefferson Reaves clinic as part of the Foundation’s Community Health Centers of Excellence initiative. The Jefferson Reaves, Sr. Health Center is an outpatient, primary care practice managed by Jackson Health Systems that serves more than 6,000 people each year. Over the last decade, the clinic has had a strong impact in the community.

The gift comes at a critical time for community clinics: the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) estimates that the more than 20 million people served by community health centers each year could nearly double by 2015 as a result of the Affordable Care Act.

“As millions more enter the health system starting in 2014, community health centers will become an increasingly vital resource nationwide,” said Kate Rubin, president of United Health Foundation. “We are working to help community clinics deliver high-quality care to the people who need it most and in ways that work. Our goal is to help solve the nation’s most serious health challenges, one community at a time.”

United Health Foundation will convene some of South Florida’s leading community and public health experts today at the Jefferson Reaves, Sr. Health Center to help raise awareness of these issues and the critical role community health centers play in Florida and nationally, and to discuss challenges and opportunities facing community health centers as the nation enters a new era of health care. Julia Yarbough, former news anchor for NBC6-WTVJ, will moderate the panel comprising the following speakers: Dr. Robert Schwartz, Professor and Chair, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine; Kellie Rodríguez, Director of Education Services, University of Miami Diabetes Research Institute; Betty Gómez Galán, Direction Mission Delivery, American Diabetes Association, Miami-Dade chapter; and Kelvin Bacon, a Jefferson Reaves patient.

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