Healthcare Network has been accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC).

“The AAAHC accreditation process is important to ensure the continued growth and success of Healthcare Network,” said President and CEO of Healthcare Network, Jamie Ulmer. "Pursuing accreditation demonstrates our commitment to providing the highest levels of quality care to our patients, and the same high level of quality in our business practices. I am extremely proud of the entire Healthcare Network Team for their dedication to upholding the principles of quality improvement for our patients and community.”

Whether you call Collier County home seasonally or year-round, your voice matters! You can help identify Collier County's strengths and needs by participating in the 2023 Collier County Community Assessment survey. Simply scan the QR code or click the link below to complete the survey.

Survey Link: www.bit.ly/3BY79di

The survey is available in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole. The results will help identify areas of greatest need and lead to important initiatives to improve our community. A special thanks to the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation and the Collier Community Foundation for conducting this important survey.

This year, Give Where You Live Collier will take place from noon Feb. 15 to noon Feb 16, and Healthcare Network has been chosen to participate once again! During this 24-hour period, all donations made will be amplified by funds from the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation and the Community Foundation of Collier County.

For some of the most vulnerable individuals, Healthcare Network is the only place they can turn to receive quality, affordable and compassionate care. Many of the patients Healthcare Network serves are underinsured or simply do not have insurance at all. This means that some of the care provided goes uncompensated. In fact, in 2021, Healthcare Network provided $12.8 million in uncompensated care. To continue caring for our community's most vulnerable, they need your help.

Please consider donating to Healthcare Network during the ninth annual Give Where You Live Collier from noon Feb. 15 until noon Feb. 16.

Visit Healthcare Network's giving page to learn more about how the organization is making healthcare accessible to all and how you can support its mission.

The Blue Zones Project Southwest Florida advocates for ways to improve the health and well-being of our community through sustainable changes to environment policy and social networks. Through incremental changes that facilitate individuals to make healthier choices, a big difference can be seen in the quality of life of community members. To learn more about this initiative and how you play an active role in supporting it, please visit the Blue Zones Project website.

---- Blue Zones Article: Stress as a Superpower

Looking for ways to begin improving your well-being? Summer Manning, marketing lead for Blue Zones Project Southwest Florida, writes about stress, mental fatigue and burnout in "Stress as a Superpower."

She provides strategies to complete the stress cycle that align with Blue Zones Project Power 9 principles and help combat burnout as well as ways you can support others experiencing fatigue and stress.

Strategies include:

How do we know when we finish the stress cycle? Our body will tell us, we will feel it in our body. Learn more and read the full article on the Healthcare Network blog.

Partners in Health, an international nonprofit public health organization, highlights partnerships with public health and community organizations in seven locations across the U.S. to create stronger, more just health systems and a more robust community health workforce in the video below.

One of the communities highlighted in the video is Immokalee and the partnership with Healthcare Network to improve access to underserved and hard-hit individuals and families utilizing Healthcare Network's Community Outreach Team.

The Community Outreach Team is a diverse and multilingual group of community health workers who reach vulnerable populations and build trust by providing culturally and language-appropriate information about important health issues.

The team is the solution to overcoming important barriers to healthcare for underserved people in Collier County. If you want to support the team, please visit https://healthcareswfl.org/outreach/.

Dental anxiety can be a big source of stress for many children, making visiting the dentist a nerve-racking experience. To help reduce discomfort, dentists can offer sedation options to make procedures safe and stress-free.

Dental sedation works well for pediatric patients who suffer from severe dental anxiety, need several procedures to be done during a single visit or have a medical, physical or emotional disability that limits their ability to understand directions and remain calm. Options for dental sedation can include nitrous oxide (laughing gas) and intravenous (IV) sedation.

At Healthcare Network, in addition to offering nitrous oxide, IV sedation is now available for pediatric patients at the Nichols Community Health Center and is administered by a highly dedicated and skilled team of board-certified pediatric dentists and registered nurses in collaboration with Pediatric Dentistry Anesthesia Associates.

It is simple and safe for children. The sedatives are administered constantly throughout the procedure through an IV placed in your child’s arm. IV sedation is ideal for children who require lengthy or complex procedures or for children who have a disability that limits their ability to follow the necessary instructions for a safe and secure dental visit.

You can learn more about this new sedation service at HealthcareSWFL.org or call 239.658.3000 to make an appointment.