Backup Documents 05/09/2017 Item # 4F 4
PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS, all persons in Collier County should have access to primary medical, dental, and behavioral care;
and,
WHEREAS, for more than 40 years, Healthcare Network of Southwest Florida has provided high-quality,
affordable health care in our county's underserved communities, demonstrating that locally
governed healthcare can improve lives while lowering costs; and,
WHEREAS, what began as a primary care office in two trailers in Immokalee has grown into the largest
provider of primary care in our community, with 21 locations serving over 50,000 individuals in
Collier County, including over 60 percent of the County's children; and,
WHEREAS, Healthcare Network of Southwest Florida provides high quality, cost effective, and accessible
primary and preventive care, including integrated medical, oral, behavioral health and pharmacy
services, to all individuals regardless of insurance status or ability to pay; and,
WHEREAS, Healthcare Network of Southwest Florida is in medically underserved areas and is locally
controlled by patient-majority boards, ensuring the organization always remains responsive to
the needs of the specific community it serves; and,
WHEREAS, Healthcare Network of Southwest Florida employs nearly 430 people, including physicians, nurse
practitioners, physician assistants and certified nurse midwives, who work as part of a multi-
disciplinary clinical teams designed to treat the whole patient; and,
WHEREAS, Healthcare Network of Southwest Florida's care delivery model continues to prove an effective
means of reducing healthcare disparities and overcoming barriers to healthcare access and in
doing so, improves health care outcomes and reduces health care system costs; and,
WHEREAS, health centers like Healthcare Network of Southwest Florida save the entire health system
approximately $24 billion annually by managing chronic conditions and keeping patients out of
costlier health care settings, like hospital emergency rooms; and,
WHEREAS, Healthcare Network of Southwest Florida Day offers the opportunity to recognize the 40 years
of service provided since the first health centers opened their doors on May 17, 1977. During
this day, we celebrate the legacy of Collier County's own health center and the hundreds of
thousands of lives they have changed for the better.
NOW THEREFORE, be it proclaimed by the Board of County Commissioners of Collier County, Florida, that
May 17, 2017, be designated as
Healthcare Network of Southwest Florida Day
i� 9 n1 'itf) 6
� \\ DONE AND ORDERED THIS 9th Day of May 2017.
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BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
I CO ER COUNTY, FLORIDA
k( ))l\I y' PENNY T LOR, IRMAN