Lake Worth Resident John Servideo Says He Owes FoundCare Community Health Center His life
In honor of National Health Center Week, August 13-19, we recently sat down with the board president of a West Palm Beach-based Federally Qualified Health Center to hear how he became involved.
In 2011, John Servideo lost his job abruptly and found himself without health insurance. He turned to FoundCare for the medical care he needed when he started to experience leg pain. During a routine checkup, a doctor there discovered a large blood clot in Servideo’s leg.
FoundCare, Inc. is a nonprofit Federally Qualified Health Center that offers pediatric and adult primary care, chronic disease management, behavioral health services, dentistry, laboratory services and X-rays, and an on-site pharmacy, all in one location. FoundCare accepts most insurance plans, Medicaid, Medicare and self-pay on a sliding fee scale that is based on family size and income.
“It could have been fatal, but the FoundCare physicians were able to take care of me and heal my clot” said Servideo. “As payback, I do as much as I can for FoundCare.”
After starting off as treasurer, Servideo is now the president of the board of directors, an elected position. As a Federally Qualified Health Center, at least fifty-one percent of FoundCare’s board members are required to be patients, so he is a perfect fit for the job. He supports and sustains FoundCare’s work and provides governance, leadership and strategic fundraising support.
“Serving as board president is very satisfying because I am able to bring my life experiences to my role in helping FoundCare be more relevant to patients and the community,” Servideo said. “FoundCare can assist families with access to affordable healthcare and serve as a patient-centered medical home.”
Servideo was instrumental in overseeing an onsite pharmacy addition so FoundCare could serve as a “one-stop shop” for their patients’ medical services. “I felt that a lot of the patients do not have transportation, so it would be good if they could have medical services all in one place,” Servideo said. “It made sense to add a pharmacy so they would not have to travel. The pharmacy has been a great success in terms of adding financial stability to our organization, and I like to see the process of an idea turn into an accomplished fact.”
Currently, the Lake Worth resident is a private chef, making gourmet meals in clients’ homes. For the last several years, he has donated his time and resources to FoundCare’s benefit gala, A Votre Sante, by offering his chef services as an auction item to raise money.
Servideo says he is interested in another term as President, then he says he will let someone else take a turn. “I will continue to donate dinners, though,” Servideo said.
