National Community Health Center Week

WellFlorida News Release
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (Aug. 9, 2010) —This year’s National Health Center Week 2010, from August 8 to 14, recognizes the accomplishments of Community Health Centers and focuses on widening access to care under health reform legislation.

Under health reform, Community Health Centers are expected to double the number of patients they currently reach from 20 million today to 40 million in five years. In addition, Community Health Centers will be included in the new market insurance plans and will be a major provider of […]

WellFlorida News Release
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (June 30, 2010) — Florida’s first statewide strategic plan addressing the long-term needs of persons with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) has just been published. Florida Department of Health, Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Program, Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology, Inc. (FAAST), and FAAST Spinal Cord Injury Resource Center contracted WellFlorida Council to conduct research on the resources for and needs of persons with SCI and develop a five-year plan based on those results.

The plan outlines the action steps […]

WellFlorida News Release
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (June 7, 2010) — WellFlorida Council will be holding workshops in Marion and Citrus counties on emergency preparedness for persons with disabilities.

The workshops, funded by a federal Hospital Preparedness grant through the Disability Task Force of the Department of Health and WellFlorida Council, will be held on June 21 in Ocala and on June 25 in Lecanto.

Local emergency management authorities will be present to discuss not only how persons with disabilities should respond to emergency or disaster situations, but also […]

WellFlorida News Release
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (Feb. 8, 2010) — A recent report, Spinal Cord Injury in Florida: A Needs and Resources Assessment, identifies the challenges and most needed services for people living with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI).

WellFlorida Council, in partnership with the Florida Department of Health, Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Program (BSCIP), The Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology, Inc. (FAAST), and the FAAST Spinal Cord Injury Resource Center (FSCIRC) conducted Florida’s first comprehensive assessment.

The SCI community identified some of the biggest challenges […]

WellFlorida News Release
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (Oct. 6, 2009)—Alachua County residents are invited to share their views about health and healthcare in their community through focus groups, phone surveys, interviews and a “community visioning” event. This community input will be used to document current and future health needs of Alachua County and to create solutions for those needs. The Alachua County Health Department has partnered with CHOICES Health Services, North Florida Regional Medical Center, Shands HealthCare and Palms Medical Group to engage WellFlorida Council, the region’s […]

WellFlorida News Release
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (June 14, 2009) —WellFlorida Council held a ceremony on June 14 to mark the dedication of the “DeWayne Yates Conference Room” as a lasting tribute to a long-time board member who lost his battle with leukemia earlier this year.

Yates, 37, of Trenton, Fla. was the CEO of the Family Medical and Dental Centers and Trenton Medical Center. He actively participated in many organizations that shared his goal of improving healthcare in North Central Florida. Some of his community involvements included: […]

WellFlorida News Release
LAKE BUTLER, Fla. (May 15, 2009) —Community members with a vested interest in the healthcare of Union County are invited to attend Charting the Course for the Health of Union County and Its Residents on Tuesday, May 26, 2009. The event will be held at the Union County Historical Society, 410 West main Street, Lake Butler from 6:30 to 8:00 pm.

Jeff Feller, COO of WellFlorida Council, will present an overview of the health status of Union County. A discussion session will follow. […]

WellFlorida News Release
STARKE, Fla. (May 15, 2009)—Community members with a vested interest in the healthcare of Bradford County are invited to attend Charting the Course for the Health of Bradford County and Its Residents on Thursday, May 28, 2009.

The event will be held at the Bradford County Public Library, 456 West Pratt Street, Starke, from 6:30 to 8:00 pm.

Jeff Feller, COO of WellFlorida Council, will present an overview of the health status of Bradford County. A discussion session will follow. The goal of the […]

WellFlorida News Release
BROOKSVILLE, Fla. (April 29, 2009)—The Hernando County Health Care Advisory Board is conducting a Mental Health Issues Community Forum at Brooksville Regional Hospital on Monday, May 4, 2009 from 8:30 to 12:30 a.m.

“During our most recent community needs assessment, it became clear that mental health issues and concerns were prevalent, and that we needed to do something about it,” said Jeff Feller, COO of WellFlorida Council and lead staff on the Hernando County Health Care Advisory Board. “The Forum is a venue […]

WellFlorida News Release
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (April 6, 2009)– Representatives of Florida’s trauma system gathered for an educational press conference on Monday at the Florida Capitol to raise awareness of Florida’s nationally-recognized trauma system. The event’s theme was Florida’s Trauma System: Together We Save Lives…Unified. Accountable. Prepared. The conference was hosted by the Office of Trauma within the Florida Department of Health’s (DOH) Division of Emergency Medical Operations.

A model for other states, Florida’s trauma system is more than a collection of trauma and burn-care centers. It […]