Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Miami Herald - April 8, 2007
Alain Castillo, amcastillo@MiamiHerald.com
The Little Haiti Health Center "is a state-of-the-art clinic and it is a dream come true," said Lillian Rivera, administrator of the Miami-Dade County Health Department, at the March 30 opening.
The county health department operates the clinic, at 300 NE 80th Ter. It will be staffed with Creole-speaking employees and will offer specialized services such as family planning, tests for pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and tuberculosis. Others seeking more general health services will be referred to other agencies.
Laurinius Pierre, executive director of the Center For Haitian Studies, said the clinic serves a need because of the high rate of tuberculosis and HIV among the Haitian-American community.
"There is a lot more work to do, and we need to go forward," Pierre said. "This is very good and this is a direction that we want to go."
Miami-Dade County donated the land and the state provided the money for the $2.3 million clinic.
"The clinic signifies a true partnership to make it possible to improve the quality of life in the community," U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek said at the opening Friday. Meek, a former state senator, helped secure state funding for the clinic, along with former state Rep. Philip Brutus.
The new clinic will offer services to people regardless of their income and immigration status.
People celebrated the grand opening with black beans, rice, plantains and fried pork, as well as a fashion show, and a performance by the Miami Edison Senior High School band.
Several organizations set up tents around the clinic and distributed health information and conducted screenings for blood pressure and cholesterol. Marie O. Etienne, president of the Haitian American Nurses Association of Florida, hoped locals would take advantage of the new facility.
"We don't want people to walk around sick. We want them to come out and get screened and educate people that it is OK to get healthcare," said Etienne, who screened people's blood pressure at the opening.
State Rep. Ronald Brise said greater access to healthcare will improve the quality-of-life for the community.
"I look at healthcare as an investment and not as an expenditure. Children who are healthy can stay in school and people can go to work."
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