Health Foundation of South Florida

09/04/2026

Continuing our September series on Roger A. Mitchell Jr.’s Black Health Summit 2026 keynote.

Dr. Mitchell grounded his keynote in Florida's own history: the students who challenged segregation, the organizers who registered voters despite intimidation and violence. Political power in this state has always been contested, he reminded us, and always worth the fight.

"When communities lose power, they lose resources. When resources decline, health outcomes decline." — Dr. Roger A. Mitchell, Jr.

Want the full story? Read the Black Health Summit 2026 Summary Report: https://hfsf.org/black-health-summit-2026/

09/03/2026

Health Foundation of South Florida is proud to support Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired’s Florida Heiken Children's Vision Program in closing vision care gaps for underserved schoolchildren!

The Florida Heiken Children's Vision Program's mobile eye care units provide free, comprehensive eye exams and, when needed, prescription eyeglasses to low-income children across Florida.

We've awarded Miami Lighthouse for the Blind a $300,000 grant over two years to fund mobile optometric clinics that bring free, comprehensive eye exams, including dilation and prescription eyeglasses, directly to 1,851 low-income schoolchildren at 24 Title I schools across Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

This investment reflects our commitment to advancing health equity by removing the cost, language, and transportation barriers that keep vulnerable children from receiving basic eye care. Thank you to our partners at Miami Lighthouse for bringing care directly to the classroom!

Read the full announcement:https://hfsf.org/health-foundation-of-south-florida-awards-300000-to-bring-vision-care-to-low-income-schoolchildren-in-miami-dade-and-broward/

To learn more about the Heiken Children's Vision Program and to apply for services for your child, visit FloridaHeiken.org.

09/02/2026

Housing. Education. Transportation. Food access. Healthcare funding. Clean environment. Every one of these shapes our health, and every one of them is shaped by who we vote into office. Dr. Mitchell opened his keynote with this foundational argument: voting determines who makes the decisions that shape our daily lives and our health.

"If you don't vote, you give up the power to decide." — Dr. Roger A. Mitchell, Jr.

Want the full story? Read the Black Health Summit 2026 Summary Report:
https://hfsf.org/black-health-summit-2026/

09/01/2026

All month we’re revisiting Roger A. Mitchell Jr.'s Black Health Summit 2026 keynote, one idea at a time.

For 130 years, the National Medical Association has stood for medicine, justice, and freedom. At Black Health Summit 2026, NMA President Dr. Mitchell, a board-certified forensic pathologist and former Washington, D.C. Chief Medical Examiner, brought that legacy to our stage in his keynote, "True Power: Voting, Advocacy, and the Health of Our People." His challenge: see voting, advocacy, and civic action not as political activities, but as health interventions.

This September, we're revisiting his keynote, one idea at a time.

Want the full story? Read the Black Health Summit 2026 Summary Report:

https://hfsf.org/black-health-summit-2026/

08/31/2026

The Health Foundation of South Florida has long prioritized addressing healthcare disparities in Black communities across our region. The Black Health Summit brings together health equity experts, advocates, clinicians, policymakers, and community members to explore the issues shaping Black health outcomes in South Florida, and over five years, it has grown from a regional gathering into a catalyst for systemic change and sustained investment.

Through Black Health Summit In Action, the Foundation carries the insights and priorities from the stage into direct community investment, supporting solutions in maternal and infant health, Black men's health, housing, and community safety, while amplifying the voices most directly impacted. This work responds to what residents and grassroots leaders have long told us: health equity requires more than clinical care. It demands collaboration, trust, and investment in communities themselves.

We hope this report informs and inspires the work ahead
https://hfsf.org/black-health-summit-2026/

07/08/2026

A mother came to Legal Services of Greater Miami after a Medicaid denial left her facing nearly $47,000 in medical bills following a brief hospitalization. The denial wasn't a question of eligibility; it was the result of outdated records and an incorrect household composition on file.

Through the Medical-Legal Partnership, funded by the Health Foundation of South Florida, she was connected with an attorney who filed a formal appeal, corrected the record retroactively, and secured her Medicaid coverage under the Medically Needy Program. Her hospitalization costs were covered in full.

Read more: https://www.legalservicesmiami.org/client-stories-and-more/gymsb39yerahhtcn9snykuijipis5q

We are deeply grateful to Legal Services of Greater Miami for recognizing our support and for the vital work they do every day to ensure that barriers never stand between our neighbors and the care they deserve.

Legal Services continues to make a profound difference in the lives of individuals navigating the complexities of public benefits systems. Among those we have had the privilege of serving is Maeva*, a 41-year-old mother who came to us in the wake of a deeply stressful experience: a Medicaid applica

07/04/2026

This Independence Day, we celebrate the freedom to dream of a healthier, more equitable South Florida, and recommit to the work of making that dream real.

Last month, more than 500 community members, health leaders, and changemakers gathered at the Black Health Summit to explore what Truth, Trust, and Transformation can look like in our communities. That spirit of collective purpose is exactly what drives us forward.

Wishing everyone a safe and joyful Fourth of July!

07/01/2026

The Black Health Summit 2026 would not have been possible without the engagement of our table hosts. Their support of this work is an investment in the health and well-being of South Florida’s Black communities, and we are honored by your partnership.

Thank you to our Table Hosts:
Memorial Healthcare System | Florida International University | Jackson Health System | University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine | University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center | Barry University | YMCA of South Florida | VITAS Healthcare | Broward County Department of Human Services | Baptist Health South Florida

Your presence at the table, literally and figuratively, made this day richer and more impactful. Thank you for believing in this work and in the communities it serves.

Want to see the moments that made this Summit unforgettable? View the full photo gallery here https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCXoSQ

The conversation continues. Stay tuned for our Black Health Summit 2026 Summary Report coming soon at HFSF.org. Follow us for updates on Black Health Summit In Action and the investments and initiatives that grow from this day.

06/30/2026

The Health Foundation of South Florida was honored to join Broward Health in celebrating a proud milestone for our community, the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Broward Health Lighthouse Point Emergency Room.

Representing the Health Foundation of South Florida at the ceremony were President & CEO Loreen Chant; CFO Alecia Dillion; Melida Akiti, former Health Foundation Board Chair and Corporate Transformation Executive at Broward Health; and Board Member David J. Clark, Senior Vice President of Operations at Broward Health. Their presence reflected the connections between the two organizations and made today's milestone especially meaningful and a powerful testament to the shared commitment they bring to the health and well-being of South Florida communities.

The Broward Health Lighthouse Point ER represents a significant investment in emergency care for residents of Lighthouse Point and surrounding communities, bringing critical services closer to those who need them. This is exactly the kind of systems-level progress the Health Foundation exists to support and celebrate.

Congratulations to the entire Broward Health team on this remarkable achievement! South Florida is stronger and healthier because of you.

Read more here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/broward-health_this-week-we-celebrated-the-soon-to-open-activity-7468404184074342400-mYfM?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAADKLUoBHB2Umj8OUSJSkogKENb36C5Wnmk

06/29/2026

At Black Health Summit 2026, we did something we had never done before. We welcomed a live musical performance to the Summit stage, and Jeffrey Gerald of Guitars Over Guns delivered something that stopped the room.

Jeffrey’s story is one worth knowing. A self-taught Haitian-American musician from North Miami, he discovered music at age 9 and taught himself guitar with no formal training. What changed the trajectory of his life was Guitars Over Guns. Through GOG’s after-school program, he found music education, experienced musician mentors, and a safe space to develop his voice and his confidence.

That environment produced something remarkable. Jeffrey wrote an original song that helped him earn a full scholarship to Berklee College of Music in Boston, becoming one of the first students from his high school to be accepted. He shared that story on our stage. And the room heard it.

Jeffrey is not just a musician. He is a mentor. He works every day with young people in South Florida, using music as a vehicle for healing, connection, and hope. Guitars Over Guns has served more than 9,700 youth across Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City, with 94% of students making or maintaining academic gains. Jeffrey is both the product of that mission and one of its most powerful proof points.

His performance at the Summit was a living example of everything our afternoon sessions were about: the pathways to better health for Black youth run not only through clinics and classrooms, but through art, voice, and the adults who show up for them with intention.

We are so grateful to Jeffrey and the Guitars Over Guns family for sharing this moment with us.

The conversation continues. Stay tuned for our Black Health Summit 2026 Summary Report coming soon at HFSF.org. Follow us for updates on Black Health Summit In Action and the investments and initiatives that grow from this day.