These Florida health centers rank high in U.S. for overall care. Many are in Miami area
A South Florida health center has ranked nationally as one of the best centers in the country for HIV prevention and care. It also ranked in the top 10% of health centers nationwide, along with six other centers in the state for providing high-quality care to patients in rural and underserved communities.
Care Resource Community Health Centers, which serves Miami-Dade and Broward counties, received the 2023 National Quality Leader award for HIV Care and Prevention from the federal government.
The award, given last week to eight health centers and one “look-alike center” in the country, means the providers are considered to be leaders in HIV prevention and care for how quickly they provide care to patients after HIV diagnosis. They also were recognized for demonstrating an increase use of HIV testing and PrEP among patients, according to Health Resources and Services Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
“Our success at Care Resource is a result of several key factors that have set us apart. ...We place a strong emphasis on holistic healthcare, considering not only the physical but also the mental and social aspects of our patients’ well-being,” Care Resource Chief Medical Officer Dr. Steven Santiago said in a statement. “This approach has played a pivotal role in ensuring high patient satisfaction and exceptional healthcare outcomes.”
Care Resource is also one of six centers in South Florida awarded the 2023 Gold Health Center Quality Leader badge for their efforts to improve the health of their patients. A center in Lee County was also given the gold badge.
Health centers and look-alike centers are like one-stop shops for care and provide check-ups, health screenings and treatment to uninsured and insured patients. Some centers may also offer dental, mental health and pharmacy services. Health centers are federally funded and “look-alike centers” rely on Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance and other patient fees.
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Gold badges, considered to be the highest recognition within HRSA’s Health Center Program, were given to centers in the U.S. that scored in the top 10% of the rankings for their “outstanding performance in a variety of clinical areas, including behavioral health, maternal health, diabetes health, heart health, cancer screening, and HIV prevention and care, as well as overall quality performance,” according to a news release. Centers that scored in the top 11% to 20% of the rankings were awarded the silver badge, with centers in the top 21% to 30% given Bronze.
Rankings were calculated using the average of 2022 Adjusted Quartile Rankings, which looks at a variety of measures including how many patients are uninsured, data on breast and other cancer screenings, childhood immunizations, control of diabetes and hypertension and low birth-weight rate.
Now, let’s take a dive into the rankings:
Best health centers in Florida?
Of the seven Gold-awarded centers in Florida, five are in Miami-Dade, one is in Palm Beach County and another is in Lee County.
The list:
MIAMI-DADE
▪ Borinquen Health Care Center. It also received the 2023 award for “Advancing Health Information for Quality” and the 2023 award for “Addressing social risk factors.”
▪ Camillus Health Concern. It also received the 2023 award for “Addressing social risk factors.”
▪ Citrus Health Network. It also received the 2023 award for “Advancing Health Information for Quality.”
▪ Miami Beach Community Health Center. It also received the 2023 award for “Advancing Health Information for Quality.”
▪ Care Resource Community Health Centers. The center, which serves both Miami-Dade and Broward and was initially established to address the HIV epidemic in South Florida and has since expanded to offer a variety of medical services, also received the 2023 “Access Enhancer” Award, the 2023 “Advancing Health Information for Quality” award and the 2023 National Quality leader award for HIV Care and Prevention. Care Resource received the leader award for demonstrating that it linked 95% of its patients to care within 30 days of an HIV diagnosis. The center also demonstrated an increase in the number of patients receiving PrEP — medication used to reduce the risk of getting HIV — in “back-to-back reporting years” and a 10% relative increase in the number of HIV diagnostic tests performed, according to Health Resources and Services Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
PALM BEACH COUNTY
▪ Health Care District of Palm Beach County. It also received the 2023 awards for “Access Enhancer,” “Health Disparities Reducer” and “Advancing Health Information for Quality.”
LEE COUNTY
▪ Lee Memorial Health System. It also received the 2023 awards for “Access Enhancer” and “Advancing Health Information for Quality.”
Did Florida have any Silver or Bronze awarded centers?
Three centers in Florida took home Silver, and five took home Bronze. Only one, Community Health of South Florida, serves South Miami-Dade and the Florida Keys.
Silver:
▪ Collier Health Services
▪ Community Health Centers of Pinellas
▪ Family Health Centers of Southwest Florida
Bronze:
▪ Central Florida Health Care
▪ Community Health of South Florida
▪ Neighborhood Medical Center
▪ Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners
▪ Trenton Medical Center
This story was originally published November 14, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
