- College of Medicine UCF Health
The on-site health center that originally was available to Osceola County Sheriff’s Office employees has expanded its care to include all employees of Osceola County and their dependents. The health center is a partnership between UCF Health and My Health Onsite to provide employees quick access to care and save on healthcare costs.
Captain Yuberky Almonte has been employed to the Osceola County Corrections Department for 17 years. She is one of 1,600 county employees who will benefit from free health care services at the new Osceola County Employee Wellness Center.
“After touring this facility I am very excited to use these services,” said the correctional officer major. “I work five minutes away, so I can stop by even on a lunch break for flu medication, have blood work done or even get an x-ray. But the best factor is that there is not going to be a cost. That’s an incentive for anyone to want to take advantage of these services.”
Captain Almonte and other Osceola County employees got an opportunity to tour the facility at a recent open house held on Monday, March 27. The center initially opened seven months ago, providing healthcare to Osceola County sheriffs and first responders. It has now expanded its services to include all Osceola County employees, their dependents and eligible retirees. The open house was held to mark the expansion.
Speaking at the event, associate dean for clinical affairs at the College of Medicine, Dr. Marcia Katz, said the collaboration with Osceola County has been “a labor of love.”
“It really shows how we can have a multidisciplinary team with physicians, dietitians, health extenders and nurse practitioners and be able to deliver quality preventive health care and ongoing acute care to members of this community,” she said, “especially at a time when access to healthcare is at the forefront.”
The center provides primary care, nutrition counseling, personalized health risk assessments and maintenance of diseases such as hypertension and diabetes. The center also provides lab work, gynecological exams, x-rays, and dispenses prescribed medication at no cost. All costs for operating the center are covered by the Osceola County.
The center’s physician, Dr. Luis Mojicar, is a faculty physician at the UCF College of Medicine and has practiced family medicine in Central Florida for 18 years.
“The facility is a well-thought of model for a clinic,” he said. “My experience so far has been very rewarding in terms of what we can do for the patients, especially in terms of preventative care, being able to treat the whole family, and to see patients that have probably not seen a doctor for years because they don’t have the time or the resources.”
Osceola County tax collector Bruce Vickers attended the open house and said he is excited about the initiative and is confident the center will have a huge impact on healthcare for his employees and their families.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for our staff to get personalized and individual attention,” he said. “The doctors will get to know us, understand our health issues and be better able to follow-up on us, and I think you get better care that way.”