(Left to Right): Virginia Wiley, Community Outreach Coordinator for Holy Cross Health; Valerie Fox, Family Nurse Practitioner at Holy Cross Health Center @ Sistrunk; Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL); Vanessa Graham, RN at Holy Cross Health Center @Sistrunk; Kim Saiswick, Vice President of Community Health & Well-Being at Holy Cross Health; DellaReese Mallory, Community Outreach Coordinator at Holy Cross Health
Health center provides access to primary care, immunizations, diabetes prevention, breast cancer screenings and more
August 28, 2023 – Family nurse practitioner Valerie Fox guided Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) on a tour of the Holy Cross Health Center @ Sistrunk introducing her to the healthcare services the non-profit hospital brings to the community.
The center offers primary care, physicals, immunizations, preventive care, diabetes education and prevention, on-site lab work and more, making quality healthcare accessible to patients of all ages. In addition, the center provides support services, including Community Health Workers who assist patients in identifying resources to assist with outstanding social determinants of health.
“It is such a great time to be here at Holy Cross, especially here on Sistrunk,” Congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick said. “What’s most exciting about this health center is how available it is to the community and all that it has to offer.”
Addressing healthcare disparities and making healthcare more accessible to marginalized communities and seniors is a top priority for Congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick. Before entering politics, she spent more than 16 years as a healthcare executive at a home health agency, working her way up from intern to CEO in only eight years.
“One of the biggest initiatives that we’re working on is to reduce co-morbidities, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, all the diseases that we see rampant in our communities, and we’re also looking at prevention tools, introducing them into the communities through our local hospitals and our community centers,” Congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick said.
The new Holy Cross Health Center sits on historic land. It joins the legacy of Black healthcare providers who ministered to this community at Provident Hospital, the only hospital that served the Black community, when it opened in 1938.
“We were so pleased that the Congresswoman took the time from her busy schedule to visit our health center,” Holy Cross Vice President Community Health & Well-Being
Kim Saiswick said. “She shared tremendous insight as to what the needs are in our local community, and we were happy to say that we are addressing those needs with our services.”
Holy Cross Health @ Sistrunk is located at 1409 NW 6th Street, Suite 103 in Fort Lauderdale in the retail space fronting Sistrunk Boulevard at the L.A. Lee YMCA/Mizell Community Center. Patients with and without insurance and those who are on Medicare and Medicaid are welcome to make an appointment or walk in.
ABOUT HOLY CROSS HEALTH
A member of Trinity Health, Fort Lauderdale-based Holy Cross Hospital, dba Holy Cross Health, is a full-service, non-profit, Catholic, teaching hospital operating in the spirit of the Sisters of Mercy. Holy Cross has been recognized for six Types of Care in U.S. News and World Report’s 2023-24 Best Hospital rankings. Through strategic collaborations and a commitment to being a person-centered, transforming, healing presence, the 557-bed hospital offers progressive inpatient, outpatient and community outreach services and clinical research trials to serve as our community’s trusted health partner for life. Holy Cross Health also encompasses Holy Cross HealthPlex outpatient facility, urgent care centers and more than 40 Holy Cross Medical Group physician practices. To learn more about Holy Cross Health, visit holy-cross.com. Connect @holycrossfl.
