Caridad Center: A Good Story Than Can Get Better

Janis Bucher Photo

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In a racing context, Caroline Moran is looking for some help in the stretch run to carry a major project at the Caridad Center–which provides free medical and dental services to workers at the Palm Meadows training facility–to the finish line.

As Gulfstream Park's 2015-16 Championship Meet comes to a close, Moran's mission is to create awareness in the Thoroughbred racing world that the Caridad Center in Boynton Beach, Fla. is a very good story that can get even better. Moran is a Thoroughbred owner very active in the hunter and jumper world whose family's Brushwood Stable has been a racing and breeding stalwart for decades. An enthusiastic member of the Caridad board that has raised 90% of a $5 million capital campaign to double the size of the Caridad facility, Moran hopes other owners will get involved.

“We're $500,000 short of our goal and we're trying to close it out,” she said. “We've raised the money for the actual construction of the building, which is well underway and should be finished by the end of the summer. But the last $500,000 is to fill it with the medical equipment and everything to go inside.”

The objective is to have work on the structure completed and the clinic fully stocked with equipment when stables start arriving for the winter season in a little over seven months.

The foundation of what has become the Caridad Center was established in 1989 when social worker and health educator Caridad Asensio and teacher Connie Berry formed an organization to assist migrant farm workers and their families. In 1992, with the help of volunteer doctors and dentists, a free clinic was established in a double-wide trailer. The name of the growing clinic was changed to the Caridad Center in 2005.

Among the 6,000 patients who make 26,000 office visits annually to the largest free clinic in Florida are workers at the nearby Palm Meadows facility.

Moran said that there are 400 medical professionals–100 doctors and about 40 dentists–who volunteer at the clinic. During the past three winter racing seasons, an average of

70 new medical patients and 30 new dental patients from Palm Meadows start at the Caridad Center.

“That's not visits, just new patients,” she said. “They have to go through an eligibility process. They have to be residents of Palm Beach County and have to live below the federal poverty level, be uninsured or underinsured.” Once they are accepted into the program, the Palm Meadows workers and their families can continue to use the clinic.

Moran does not have stats, but said she has heard that the Caridad Center also provides services to stable workers at Palm Beach Downs and other people who care for sport horses in the county.

Palm Meadows Chaplain Fernando Roman is the coordinator with the center.

“Most of the people who work at the Palm Meadows training facility are immigrants who do not have medical insurance,” he said. “Caridad has come alongside our facility and provided services for all of our people.

They do not discriminate. They have set a date to see our guys, Thursday after 11 a.m. I send sometimes up to six or seven people per shot up there. They do all their medical needs there. They have an on-site pharmacy and if any of them need medication it is given to them at no charge. If they do any outside referrals for specialists they will get a discount for the Caridad referral.”

The clinic also has a variety of outreach programs to help the Palm Meadows workers.

“Not only does Caridad see our guys, they come to our site,” Roman said.

“They do HIV testing and educational programs for them. Right now we're doing a course on Monday called 'Taking Control of Your Health.' There are 15 or 16 of our guys in the program. They also come here on-site and do hands-on educational training, dental and diabectic screening.

“They do quite a bit for us. If I had to send my people to another clinic they couldn't afford it. Caridad does this for our people. The only thing that they have charged for is lab work, which is reasonable. You can't beat that.”

When Chaplain Roman was assigned to Palm Meadows six years ago, he said there was a serious need for medical services for the workers. He said the Caridad Center has emerged as an accommodating resource and its staff is trusted by the Palm Meadows employees.

“They are bi-lingual and 90% of our guys don't speak English,” he said. “Right off the bat, the minute they walk in the door, they have that comfort because they're speaking their language. They don't feel out of place. I have no complaints with any of the workers there. They continue to try and provide the best that they can for us.”

Chaplain Roman noted that he has a great relationship with the Caridad Center and the Bethesda West Hospital, which treats more serious issues. “I am one thankful man for this,” he said.

Moran's connection to the center began six years ago when her Wellington Equestrian Group began partnering with it to invite children to a huge annual Christmas party. Her interest grew, she joined the board and is a part of its capital campaign that she wants to see fulfill its mission.

So she is reaching out in the drive to the wire.

“It's hard to get to the owners and trainers,” she said. “I don't think the owners are aware of what's going on. I thought if I could get it out there, that there is a backstretch medical and dental program that they're not aware of, that maybe we can garner some support from that end.

Learn more about Caridad at www.caridad.org.

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