Central Florida Health Care Celebrates Ribbon Cutting for Davenport Health Center
by James Coulter
Central Florida Health Care commemorated the grand opening of its newest health center in Davenport with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday.
Located along Highway 27 near Posner Park, the new medical facility will provide basic medical, dental, pediatric, ob-gyn, and pharmaceutical services to the local community. Low-income patients requiring financial assistance for their medical needs can receive aid from an on-site navigator with social work experience.
For nearly 50 years, Central Florida Health Care (CFHC) has been meeting the healthcare needs of residents, with more than 500 employees and 14 facilities located across Polk, Hardee, and Highlands County. The Davenport center is their 15th community health center to open to the general public.
Ann Claussen, CFHC CEO, mentioned how she and her staff had searched high and low for many weeks until they discovered the most opportune location for their newest facility in Davenport. They decided to construct their facility after receiving a service area competition grant in 2019.
Now that it has finally opened its doors, she hopes that it will provide the same hospitable, reliable service their organization has become known for. “We persevered because we knew there was a need. We continued to look for an opportunity to have a community healthcare center in Davenport,” she said.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony was hosted on Wednesday by the Northeast Polk Chamber of Commerce. Several city and chamber members attended the event, along with other notable individuals, including Martha Santiago, District 4 Commissioner; Ben Browning, Associate of Community Healthcare Services; and Dave Williams, the former CFHC CEO.
Leah West, representing Congressman Darren Soto, commended CFHC for opening their new facility and providing essential healthcare services, especially to low-income individuals. She also commended the organization for helping Polk County get through the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.
West mentioned how Soto was doing his part to help his constituents within the district meet their healthcare needs by supporting important legislation, including the Inflation Reduction Act, which will provides caps on insulin and out-of-pocket medical expenses for seniors.
“Congressman Soto believes federally qualified health centers are the most important ways we can keep our communities safe and this country safe,” West said. “It was clinics like this that kept us safe and kept our communities running [during the pandemic]. That is why Soto will continue to support efforts to care for people who need it the most. This is why this facility is great for our government and community.”
The Davenport Health Center is located at 130 Ridge Center Drive, Davenport, FL. For more information, call 866-234-8534, or visit https://cfhc.org/
