PHOTO COURTESY OF DEERINGESTATE.ORG 

For some South Floridians, access to quality health care seems unaffordable. But South Miami-Dade County residents have what some consider to be a beacon of hope for the uninsured and underinsured.

For more than 40 years, Community Health of South Florida Inc. (CHI) has provided medical care to those who would otherwise go without doctor’s visits, medication and life-saving treatments. The majority of CHI patients do not have the money to pay for medical care. CHI is a neighborhood resource that gives and goes beyond the call of duty. Its comprehensive medical services offer a wide array of care under one roof: family medicine, pediatrics, OB/GYN, radiology, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, urgent care and much more.

A celebrity golf tournament is planned this week to help raise funds to expand CHI’s services.

When celebrities like NFL Pro Athletes Robert Bailey and Adewale Ogunleye hit the links on Friday, they will swing with a greater good in mind. The annual Robert Bailey/Glen Rice/Adewale Ogunleye Celebrity Golf Tournament raises funds for a variety of programs at Community Health of South Florida Inc.

“I am so proud to be a part of this fundraiser,” Bailey said. “It helps to remind us all that health care should not be a luxury. The work that CHI does is nothing short of game changing in the lives of thousands of people.”

CHI hopes to break ground on the new Dr. Jacquelyn T. Hartley Children’s Crisis Center in South Miami-Dade County next to its Doris Ison Health Center, 10300 SW 216th St., Miami.

The center will specialize in treating children who have been victimized by abuse and those with psychological issues. Right now there is no such place in the South Dade area, causing some
families to drive all the way to Hialeah from the Keys and Homestead.

“This is a resource that the community can no longer afford to go without,” said Col. Brodes H. Hartley Jr., CEO and president of CHI. “The children’s crisis center is a sanctuary to heal these young fragile
lives and put them on the path for success.”