By Nina Levine
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL.- Broward HealthPoint and Community Care Plan are proud to announce the grand opening of the Maternity Care Center & Heart Community Resource Center in Lauderdale Lakes. This collaboration aims to address health disparities in maternal care identified in central Broward County.
“Our collaboration stems from a shared commitment to addressing the critical health disparities in maternal care within central Broward County,” said Broward Health President and CEO Shane Strum. “By leveraging our resources and expertise, we are providing comprehensive maternal care services, ensuring that women can easily access prenatal care and support throughout their pregnancy journey.”
Broward HealthPoint, an affiliate of Broward Health, and Community Care Plan strategically positioned the new center to fulfill the unmet OB-GYN needs of women in
Lauderhill, Lauderdale Lakes, Sunrise and Oakland Park, particularly in the 33311 and 33313 zip codes. The data indicates that women in these areas have limited access to prenatal and postpartum care, which is a critical component of maternal health and positive birth outcomes.
Aiming to bridge the gap, the new center will provide convenient and reliable healthcare services to women in the Lauderdale Lakes area while putting more maternal and gynecological care providers on the ground locally so women can access prenatal care.
The organizations also held a media roundtable during Black Maternal Week, emphasizing the importance of addressing disparities in maternal care, particularly within the Black community. Participating in the roundtable were Katina Brown-Burgess, D.O., obstetrics/gynecology, Broward HealthPoint; Miguel Venereo, M.D., senior vice president and chief medical officer, Community Care Plan; Amy Pont, director of community health, Community Care Plan; Rose McKelvie, RN, associate vice president of women and children’s service line, Broward Health; Dawn Liberta, executive director, Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Broward County; and Monica Figueroa King, chief executive officer, Broward Healthy Start Coalition, Inc.
“We are excited about this center and what it means to the women in this community, but it’s so much more,” said McKelvie. “This center is also about the entire family. We will have programs in place not only to address moms, but also the entire family and seniors as well. We will be providing training for the whole family unit.”
Wraparound services available at the center include nutrition, exercise, financial and health literacy classes, job training programs, public Wi-Fi and more services aimed at assisting members of the community in all aspects of their lives. The center also offers a playroom where children whose parents participate in the programs offered are supervised.
“We actually rented this space several years ago with the idea of putting in a community resource center to really address social determinants of health or health-related social needs because we recognize that while we can provide health services through our health plan, 80% of healthcare is really about where you live, work, play and pray,” Pont said. “It doesn’t stop with going to the doctor. We recognized that there are other social needs and we have addressed that with the transformational programs we are offering here.”
The United States has one of the highest maternal mortality rates compared to other industrialized nations. According to the National Library of Medicine, Black women in the U.S. disproportionately experience adverse pregnancy outcomes, including maternal mortality, compared to women of other racial and ethnic groups. Research indicates that quality healthcare, from preconception through postpartum care, may be a critical lever for improving outcomes for minority women.
“The maternity care center, located at 3736 W. Oakland Park Blvd. in Lauderdale Lakes, is now open.”
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