IMMOKALEE, Fla. — Three-year-old Roberto needs speech therapy. He and his mom Maria Sara Peren walk to each session, but if Core Health Partners didn't have an office in Immokalee, Roberto would likely not get the help he needs.
Maria Peren said, "Pero antes a veces tiraba y todo eso, pero como no se explicaba bien él también, entonces quizá por eso hacía eso. "(But before, sometimes he would throw things and all that, since he didn't explain himself well either, so maybe that's why he did that.)
Like many people in Immokalee, Peren doesn't drive. When it comes to other health care needs, not available in town, she can't afford the ride to Naples or Fort Myers.
"No manejamos y a veces vienen, pedimos este la ambulancia nos cobra más caro. Entonces, sí aquí necesitamos un hospital," she said. (We don't drive and sometimes they come, we ask for the ambulance and they charge us more so we need a hospital here.)
Find out how SB 110 can help Immokalee in Community Correspondent Ella Rhoades report:
The closest hospital to Immokalee is about an hour away from town.
Senate Bill 110 could change that, not a hospital per say, but bring in more mobile health care clinics and other preventative care options.
Find previous reporting on mobile health care clinics in Immokalee here.
The bill's overall goal is to improve the quality of life in rural communities like Immokalee, with better access to health care, educational support and infrastructure improvement.
The $200 million bill would also create the Office of Rural Prosperity to connect the people and their community to the funding.
Core Health Network CEO Paul Thien said this is crucial for Immokalee.
"I read SB110, and I really I get emotional about what can be done in this area because there is so much need," Thein said.
He opened Core Health Network's Immokalee branch to fill the health care gaps in the community.
CHP also offers chronic disease prevention, occupational therapy and other services in Spanish and Creole.
He believes this bill can transform Immokalee's health care.
"You're gonna see a major shift in community wellness," Thein said if the bill gets the governor's signature.
Peren said the health is worth it for her son's success.
She said, "Nos ofrecen la ayuda a veces decimos nos da miedo, no queremos salirnos. Entonces yo le digo a los padres que hay que llevar a nuestros hijos porque es es el bienestar de ellos, porque un futuro nos va a ayudar a ellos." (They offer us help, sometimes we say we're afraid, we don't want to leave, so I tell parents that we have to take our children because it's for their well-being, because in the future it will help them.)
Another step closer to the access needed for this underserved community.
