Clinic Partnership Brings a Beacon of Health and Hope to Liberty City

Miami’s Liberty City community is not without its challenges. Poverty and crime are just two factors putting residents at risk for poorer health outcomes. Recent shootings, some of which have taken the lives of Northwestern High School students, are tragic reminders of the monumental hardships residents face daily.

 

The difficulties of this high-risk community can lead some health care providers to look away, treating less volatile neighborhoods instead. But that is not the case with a school-based clinic ready to serve as a beacon of hope through better health for all in Liberty City. And it is the result of a creative partnership between educators, care providers and community leaders that we hope will inspire others.

 

On January 9, 2016, we celebrated the grand opening of the John H. Peavy Health Center at Northwestern Senior High School to the public. It will be a new model of community-based health care, serving as a health care “hub” for the area beyond school grounds.

 

The federally funded clinic manifests an ambitious partnership between Florida International University (FIU) Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Jesse Trice Community Health Center (JTCHC), Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Health Foundation of South Florida and The Children’s Trust to promote quality health care in underserved areas.

 

Situated among Northwestern’s classrooms, it is the collaboration of these entities to expand access to the community that sets this clinic apart. A full staff of nurse practitioners serving as primary care providers and clinic managers, as well as a physician supervisor, social worker and others will also now provide team-based health, wellness and prevention services after school hours to the public.

 

The clinic also represents a new standard for health professions education and practice. The College’s nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and athletic training students will work there to apply their training in service to the community. Staff and students will help Liberty City residents manage a wide range of acute and chronic health conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure, and will refer them to specialists as needed.

 

As proud as we are of this clinic partnership, we realize that some residents remain skeptical of health care services. That is why the JTCHC, in its position as a Florida 501(c)3 nonprofit and a Federally Qualified Health Center, is enlisting health care and peer navigators to do community outreach, identify individual health care needs and inform residents on how the clinic can help them.

 

This outreach is essential to reach a client base of primarily uninsured and underinsured individuals – especially when 95 percent live at or below the federal poverty level.

 

The JTCHC will also help clinic staff deliver culturally competent health care. They’re already familiar with the many challenges affecting health in the neighborhood, which can include teen truancy, obesity, HIV/AIDS/STDs, infant mortality and low birth weight neonates.

 

The acclaimed Northwestern Bulls football team is a source of pride and recognition that brings residents together. This clinic follows the team’s lead, embodying a long-term commitment to give residents another pillar of strength. The people of Liberty City deserve access to quality health care in their own community from providers who understand the adversities they face and from partners who can share their strengths to make a powerful difference.