IMMOKALEE, Fla. — More healthcare resources are in Immokalee thanks to the Naples Children and Education Foundation. The organization's new wellness center brings different healthcare services under one roof for Immokalee children.
The Naples Children and Education Foundation Wellness Center in Immokalee is providing essential healthcare services to local families, allowing parents like Gladis Soriano to access care for their children without extensive travel or time off work.
"It makes it much better because I'm able to take my lunch break and bring him here and go back to work. I don't have to drive 45 minutes out of town," Soriano said.
Watch Immokalee Community Correspondent Ella Rhoades explain the resources:
The wellness center, which opened last fall, serves as a comprehensive healthcare hub for children in the community.
CEO of the Naples Children and Education Foundation, Maria Jimenez Lara, emphasizes the importance of local access to healthcare.
"It's really important that people are able to receive services in the community that they live in,"Lara said. "They're more likely to continue their services, but also having them in their own community is very, very important. It's part of the quality of life that we want to bring to children and families."
NCEF partners include University of Florida for dental services, Bascom Palmer for eyecare, Golisano Children's Hospital for physical, occupational and speech therapy and STAR provides applied behavior analysis therapy.
To ensure accessibility for all Immokalee families, providers at the wellness center speak English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole.
"We can't change the challenges families will face in the future. We can make them stronger, we can make them more resilient. We can make sure that they're healthy," Lara said.
Families receiving care at the wellness center also have access to the Meals of Hope food pantry, which provides food, both perishable and non-perishable, diapers, bottles and baby food for expecting mothers.
The foundation emphasizes that healthcare should be available to all children regardless of financial circumstances.
"Our biggest priority is to make sure that funds is not the reason why parents and children don't receive services," Lara said.
The NCEF Wellness Center has already provided care for more than 600 Immokalee families and plans to expand its services in the future.
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