New Coalition for the Homeless center will bring healthcare directly to families experiencing homelessness

ORLANDO, Fla. - For families experiencing homelessness, seeing a doctor can mean navigating transportation, cost and other barriers at a time when they are already working to regain stability.

Soon, a new model at the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida's Center for Women and Families will bring care directly to them.

The center will include the region's first onsite health clinic at a homeless shelter, giving women, children and families access to primary care, pediatric services and behavioral health support in the same place they are receiving housing and other services.

AdventHealth will design and operate the clinic, with specialty and dental care available through Orange Blossom Family Health.

"We aren't just building a new facility," said Brad Butterstein, president and CEO of the Coalition. "Our goal is to build stronger pathways to permanent housing for women and families with improved services and reliable resources. We strive to meet each person with dignity and hope for a brighter future."

Today, when someone staying at the Coalition needs medical care, staff often has little choice but to call 911.

The new clinic will give families another option, providing access to routine and preventive care before a health issue becomes an emergency.

"For families working to get back on their feet, access to healthcare should not be another barrier they have to overcome," said Alric Simmonds, MD, chief physician executive at AdventHealth. "Bringing care directly to families gives us an opportunity to identify needs earlier, connect people with the right services and help create the stability that supports better health."

This new partnership was highlighted during the groundbreaking for the new Center for Women and Families, which will bring housing, healthcare and other supportive services together to help families move toward greater stability.

AdventHealth's vision is for every guest entering the center to have the opportunity to receive a health assessment, develop a personalized care plan and connect with services based on their individual needs.

"Housing is healthcare," Dr. Simmonds said. "When a family has a safe place to sleep, parents are better able to manage their health, children have greater stability and families can focus on their future. By bringing housing, healthcare and supportive services together, we can help people build a healthier path forward."

Envisioned together, the new clinic, located in Orlando's Parramore neighborhood, builds on a relationship between AdventHealth and the Coalition that dates to 1997.

Its innovative model also reflects a broader understanding of what shapes health.

Safe housing, nutritious food, economic stability and access to medical and behavioral health services can all affect a person's ability to become and remain healthy and whole.

Orange Blossom Family Health will help expand the services available to families, making it easier for families to get all the care they need -- when and where they need it.

"When we address health and housing together, we can help families move beyond an immediate crisis and toward a healthier, more stable future," Dr. Simmonds said.