FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
RIVIERA BEACH RESIDENTS COULD SOON RECEIVE ACCESSIBLE,
QUALITY HEALTH CARE IN THEIR OWN BACKYARDS
RIVIERA BEACH, FL. (Feb. 9, 2022) – Accessible, quality health care to the
uninsured and underserved, offering services such as dentistry, behavioral,
primary care and an on-site pharmacy, could be coming to the City.
The City Council in a unanimous vote at its Feb. 2 regular meeting agreed to
negotiate a round lease and development agreement upon its approval of a
preliminary term sheet with FoundCare, a Florida not-for-profit corporation
community-based health care provider. FoundCare, a Federal Qualified Health
Center, receives federal funds to provide primary care services in underserved
areas. FoundCare delivers a comprehensive range of services including adult
primary care, pediatric primary care, chronic disease, women’s health, behavioral
health, adult/pediatric dentistry, infectious disease, testing for HIV and Hepatitis
C, social services, x-Rays and on-site pharmacy services, hopes to construct an
$11.4 million, 20,000-square-foot medical facility at 3501 Broadway Avenue
within 18 to 24 months.
The site would include a $2.85 million business incubator funded by FoundCare
for use of the City and its Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), according
to the term sheet. It is the medical provider’s expectation to serve 13,000 unique
patients, equating to 33,000 annual visits at the proposed location.
“The work that we do is really fantastic and I hope to bring it to your community,
because I think your community deserves that and more,” FoundCare CEO
Christopher Irizarry told the Council, adding the life expectancy of a Riviera
Beach resident is 69 compared to 81 in the rest of the county.
“That’s not right. That’s not fair. We want to do something about that,” Irizarry
added.
The proposed location for the medical facility was formerly known as the J&B
Motel and Schooners Motel. It is located on the west side of Broadway, directly
south of McDonald’s. The City in 2015 instituted a code enforcement foreclosure
lawsuit against the owners and purchased the property for $500,000. The
property remains vacant.
The FoundCare team has been working with the City and Community
Redevelopment Agency (CRA) staff to develop a proposal and preliminary term
sheet to build a facility that provides accessible, quality health care services to
underserved area residents.
Working collaboratively with the FoundCare team, the City and CRA staff have
developed a conceptual site plan that would meet the City’s zoning requirements
and bring a project that adds to creating a walkable pedestrian-friendly
environment along the Broadway Corridor. The facility would generate 35 jobs
and would also provide transportation to patients. FoundCare, born out of the
AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, also provides services to those with insurance and
uses a sliding payment scale for those who do not.
“I am so excited that the City is moving forward with the promise of a newly
constructed health and wellness center for our residents,” Council Chairwoman
Shirley Lanier said. “Having access to affordable healthcare will increase health
outcomes for our residents, which in turn promotes healthy communities.”
Council Chair Pro-Tem KaShamba Miller-Anderson echoed Lanier’s sentiment.
“I am overjoyed to welcome FoundCare, a federally qualified health center, to our
community to provide our residents with exceptional care. Bringing a health care
center of this magnitude to our city is only the beginning of many projects that the
residents and business community can be proud of.
The Preliminary Term Sheet was devised to guide the lease agreement
negotiation between the City and FoundCare. The intent of the non-binding term
sheet is to address material terms to be included in the lease agreement. One
component of the term sheet stipulates up to 99 years with the leased premises
being returned to the City, including all improvements, at lease end; extended
only upon agreement of both parties and continuous use and occupancy as a
health center.
According to the term sheet, FoundCare, which has 7 locations in the county, is
responsible for the design, engineering and construction of improvements. The
City has the right to review design, construction and conceptual plans that are
submitted to the City and CRA for review. The term sheet also requires
development approvals be obtained from the City, including any amendments to
the comprehensive plan and site plan approvals.
The terms of the development could come back before the City Council for
consideration in approximately the next two months.
Term Sheet Information: https://bit.ly/3HH5ppq
For more information on FoundCare, please visit foundcare.org
Contact:
Nicole Rodriguez
Public Information Officer
NRodriguez@rivierabeach.org
C: 561-281-3422
O: 561-812-6605