Community Health Center Will Increase Access to Health and Social Services in Riviera Beach

Over the last two years, Community Partners of South Florida (CPSFL) convened Riviera Beach community members and local partners to share their experiences and insights regarding a thriving Riviera Beach. The most pressing concern raised by residents was access to primary health care. As a result, the Riviera Beach Health Initiative (RBHI) was formed and Riviera Beach will be home to brand new Federally-Qualified Health Center (FQHC) site providing comprehensive health care services. Many of the residents whose input informed the initial development of the plan have signed on to serve as members of the RBHI Resident Advisory Committee.

“Collaboration and communication is the heart and soul of the Riviera Beach Health Initiative. Funders, other nonprofits, community leaders, and residents did the work of asking and answering tough questions, building trust, and making the commitment to continue cultivating relationships so that we can sustain this health system in Riviera Beach.” -Kelly Powell, Chief Operating Officer for Community Partners of South Florida

Plans for a Federally-Qualified Community Health Center (FQHC) have been approved for 3501 Broadway and soon it will serve as a “one-stop shop” for comprehensive, affordable health services. The services will be rolled out in three phases over a period of several years and will include Adult and Pediatric Primary, Women’s Health, Mental Health, and Dental Health Care as well as community outreach, pharmacy, laboratory, healthcare system navigation, community outreach, and health promotion education. Once fully operational, the FQHC will provide approximately 14,000 patients with 34,000 service visits annually.

Community Health is the intersection of healthcare, economics, and social interaction. Community Health impacts everything –educational achievement, safety and crime, people’s ability to work and be financially secure, life expectancy, happiness and more. Community Health is impacted by the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH); economic stability, education access and quality, health care access and quality, neighborhood and built environment, and social and community context. CPSFL community navigators will work alongside FoundCare’s health navigators to provide SDOH or “social” issues navigation support. FoundCare navigators will address the primary and preventive health-related needs of patients, and the CPSFL navigators will address patients’ social-emotional related needs. This collaboration will promote the delivery of comprehensive, coordinated, and integrated support. 

As the local leader in comprehensive community development, with ties to the area dating back to 1979, Community Partners of South Florida is uniquely positioned to support Riviera Beach residents. CPSFL provides mental and behavioral health services, wraparound case management, teen clubs and mentoring, parenting support, supportive housing, as well as pathways to economic self-sufficiency through homeownership.

“The residents of Riviera Beach are the focus of the health center. Their input was critical from the start and we will do everything in our power to ensure that their voices continue to be heard as the initiative rolls out.” – Kenyon Link, Vice President of Community Services for Community Partners of South Florida

Beginning in February 2023 a mobile health vehicle will provide primary care services, offering residents a choice of options to receive care – either at Foundcare’s 5205 Greenwood Ave site in West Palm Beach or at one of five mobile locations throughout Riviera Beach. Community Partners of South Florida will host the mobile health vehicle one day a week at 2001 W. Blue Heron Blvd. in Riviera Beach. The mobile clinic offers residents the opportunity to create a medical home and build relationships with their primary care providers prior to the completion of the Community Health Center.

Partners include the Health Council of Southeast Florida, who will support health literacy and navigation, as well as the American Heart Association (Palm Beach County), who will implement a Food Farmacy prescription program along with healthy food and health promotion education specifically for at-risk women of child-bearing age.

Peek inside the mobile clinic here. To schedule an appointment with the mobile health vehicle please call FoundCare at 561-432-5849 or visit https://www.foundcare.org/rivierabeach/ for locations and updates. For other inquires please contact Kelly Powell at KPowell@cpsfl.org.

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