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  Collier Health Services (CHS) was founded in 1977 by a group of community leaders for the purpose of improving the health of migrant and seasonal farm workers, rural poor, and other citizens in Collier County. Guided by Marion E. Fether, a dedicated Immokalee resident who recognized the community’s obvious need for quality health care services, these community leaders formed a board, which was the vehicle for developing a medical center in Immokalee. Mrs. Fether became the first chairperson of the CHS board, and the medical center was eventually named after her. The commitment of the board was to provide basic medical and dental health care services at an affordable cost, while ensuring dignity and respect to each individual it served. The initial health care services established at the medical center were family medicine, pediatrics, women’s health, dental health and infectious diseases.
Since 1977, Immokalee’s population has increased and its need for quality, professional medical and dental health care has grown as well. Always sensitive to these growing needs, the administration and staff of CHS responded by building a new facility; the new Marion E. Fether Medical Center, which was completed in July of 1993. With the new medical center in place, CHS was able to continue with its original commitment to Immokalee residents by offering a wider range of health care services to include: family medicine, pediatrics, women’s health, dental health, chronic and infectious diseases, and adult health. Over a period of time, other support services such as laboratory and radiology, pharmacy, outreach and health education, social services support, transportation, and translation assistance were made available. English, Spanish, French, Creole, and Kanjabol are spoken at many of the CHS office sites.
 With the nearest hospital some 50 minutes away, the administration of CHS added a walk-in care department at the medical center, which has supported Immokalee’s walk-in care needs by treating patients without appointments for respiratory illnesses, minor injuries, asthma, and work-related injuries, as well as general walk-in care concerns. A helipad is located on the premises should the need arise for a patient to be transported quickly to a nearby hospital. The Collier County Emergency Medical Services also work with the medical center to transport patients to a hospital when necessary.
CHS continues to seek ways to further its commitment to provide quality, professional medical and dental health care services to Collier County residents. In so doing, it has established several other health care sites within Collier County.
In July 1996, the Children’s Health Network (CHN) was organized. A network of pediatric office sites from Marco Island to Immokalee, the Children’s Health Network is supported by Board-certified pediatricians, as well as skilled nursing and support staff who specialize in the care of newborns, children, and adolescents. In addition to addressing the physiological health issues of their patients, CHN’s pediatricians also spend considerable time addressing their patients’ behavioral and developmental concerns. A by-product of that focus has been the introduction of the Reach Out and Read Program – a national pediatric literacy program. This program has been well received by patients and parents alike. It has also proven itself to be extremely successful in contributing to the improvement of language skills and intellectual development of CHN’s patient population.
In 1999, the Immokalee Family Care Center was established to provide Immokalee residents with family medicine in a private setting. By encouraging an “appointment necessary” policy and limiting walk-in services, the providers and staff of the Immokalee Family Care Center ensure their patients receive the time and attention they need to treat all their health care concerns. Health care services include: family medicine, adult health care, pediatric and adolescent medicine, and women’s health care.
In November 2001, CHS expanded its dental health care services in Collier County by opening the Golden Gate Dental Practice. An affiliate of the Children’s Health Network, the mission of the Golden Gate Dental Practice is to provide basic pediatric dentistry services to children whose families are unable to afford dental health care for their children.
The Horizons Primary Care Center opened its doors in July 2003. Located in Golden Gate, Horizons was established in response to a county commission-appointed study on the accessibility of health care to Collier County residents. In 2000, the committee issued its report, painting a sad but accurate picture of unmet health care needs for large population segments. The report reflected an alarming number of individuals and families that were uninsured or underinsured with many existing at 100% - 200% of the federal poverty level. Horizons became the answer to these citizens. Horizons offers adult, pediatric, and family health care services. The center was renamed in 2008. The Mike Davis Medical Center was named in honor of Representative Mike Davis who was a leader in the initiative to ensure our community have this clinic and the services it provides.
In November 2004, the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile® Program was launched. A partnership between the Children’s Health Network and Ronald McDonald House Charities® of SW Florida, the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile is a 40 foot long, 8 foot wide, mobile pediatric office that delivers “Hope on Wheels” to disadvantaged children in Collier County. It is a first for SW Florida. The goal of the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile program is to provide children with certain medical and/or dental screenings and services, as well as provide these children with information that will help connect them to a medical home and be a point of entry for continuing care. The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile will offer numerous benefits and services in Collier County including: school physicals to new students entering the Collier County school system; vision and hearing screenings; growth and development screenings; dental exams and preventive and restorative dental treatment, as well as prevention education programs. The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile staff will reach the county’s children through schools with a high percentage of low-income students, selected after-school programs, a variety of family-oriented festivals and activities.
Florida State University (FSU) in partnership with CHS Healthcare established a training program focusing on rural health. Florida State University's College of Medicine and CHS Pediatrics offer primary health care services to the community and provide educational experiences to FSU medical students. The CHS/FSU Pediatric Practice on the Isabel Collier Read Medical Campus officially opened for business on January 21, 2008, which increased the capacity of CHS Healthcare’s Immokalee Pediatrics from 6 exam rooms to 10.
COUNTRYSIDE DENTAL CENTER opened in February 2008. This state of the art dental center supports the need for Pediatric, primary dental services in the East Naples and surrounding area. CHS expanded its dental health care services in Collier County with the help and support of NCEF funds to build the building. Our philosophy is based on the concept of Preventative Dentistry. Our mission is to provide basic pediatric dental services and make our pediatric and adolescent dental services available to all children in Collier County.
CHS / UF PEDIATRIC DENTAL opened in December of 2008. CHS Healthcare and the University Of Florida College Of Dentistry opened this long awaited dental office at the NCEF Pediatric Dental Center. This pediatric dental practice offers routine as well as specialty dental services. It's the first education facility for the UF College of Dentistry in Collier County and CHS Healthcare’s newest fixed site dental practice. This is a state-of-the-art pediatric dental facility providing advanced care and specialty services, such as sedation and hospital-based pediatric dentistry. NCEF generously funded the building and start up costs. The dedication of the facility took place on March 29, 2009.
IMMOKALEE FAMILY CARE CENTER in 2010, moved on to the new ITECH school campus in Immokalee. The CHS office runs side by side next to student run businesses at the new school. This partnership came about from the idea to teach students in a "real world" setting. “We envisioned a school in which students learn career skills through running businesses, real businesses that are open to the public. We wanted to create a learning environment that mirrors the real world. Embedding the CHS family practice in the center allows our nursing students to have clinical experiences without having to leave campus,” said Dorin Oxender, Principal of the Immokalee Technical Center. This may be the only doctor’s office practicing as part of a technical school in the country, and is a very dynamic way to partner in the educational experience of students.
In addition to serving citizens throughout Collier County, CHS has established relationships with area schools for the purpose of providing a “teaching” environment for health care students. Some of these partnerships include: Florida State University, University of Florida, Nova Southeastern University – College of Osteopathic Medicine, Nova Southeastern University – College of Dentistry, Lorenzo Walker Institute of Technology, Edison Community College, and Florida Gulf Coast University.
Board Certified physicians, as well as experienced nursing and support staff support CHS, and it is involved with virtually all health and social service organizations within Collier County. Some of the partnerships CHS has established include: Boys and Girls Club, Child Protection Team, Children’s Medical Services, Collier County Department of Health, Collier County Dental Association, Collier County Education Foundation, Collier County Medical Society, Collier County Public Schools, Collier County Sheriff’s Office, Collier County Rural Health Network, Collier County Department of Social Services, David Lawrence Center, Department of Children and Families, Epilepsy Foundation, Everglades Area Health Education Center (AHEC), Healthy Start, Immokalee Foundation, March of Dimes, Naples Alliance for Children, Naples Community Hospital, North Collier Hospital, Reach Out and Read National, Redlands Christian Migrant Association, Ronald McDonald – Global, Ronald McDonald House Charities® of SW FL. These partnerships enable CHS to offer additional assistance to Collier County citizens whenever and wherever possible.
2007 marked 30 years of quality care and service to the community by CHS.
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