Q: Where did you go to college/graduate school?
I completed a bachelor’s in biomedical sciences with a minor in public health from the University of South Florida and a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Florida.
Q: Where do you live?
I live in the Treasure Coast of Florida.
Q: If a friend came to visit you in your hometown, where would you take them? Where would you take them in your state?
Hometown: Start with a walk at Indian RiverSide Park, featuring a scenic waterfront trail, splash pad for kids, pet-friendly areas, and picnic spots. For lunch or dinner, downtown Stuart is my go-to spot, with a variety of dining options, a large playground, waterfront views, shopping, and a basketball court—fun for the whole family.
State: I grew up in Hollywood, Florida. While I prefer a quieter, less populated area to raise my children, I often find myself heading south to Miami and Fort Lauderdale for staycations. The diversity and waterfront hotels offer endless activities in South Florida.
Q: Tell us about your health care facility.
WFHC’s vision is to provide integrated, compassionate, affordable, quality health care for the communities we serve. Originally an HIV health care provider, WFHC has evolved into a nonprofit community health center offering primary medical care for children and adults, behavioral health, lab, and pharmacy services. Serving the Treasure Coast for more than 25 years, WFHC operates four state-of-the-art clinical offices—three in Vero Beach and one in Fort Pierce. In 2017, WFHC became a federally qualified health center look-alike (FQHC-LA). Of patients with known incomes, 80.4% are at or below 200% of the federal poverty level (FPL). In 2023, WFHC served approximately 15,000 patients, with a mission to provide high-quality, caring, accessible health care services—adult and child, medical, mental and oral health—to everyone. Providing integrated compassionate, affordable, quality health care by targeting the medically underserved, vulnerable, and uninsured whose barriers include low income, low educational success, lack of health insurance, and lack of reliable transportation is our goal.
Q: What are some concrete examples of how your facility has benefitted from the 340B program?
The 340B Program has been crucial, allowing us to extend scarce federal resources to those in need. Savings from this program have enabled WFHC to recruit several providers to meet the increasing demand for services.
WFHC continues to expand its footprint by renovating and expanding the primary Vero Beach Clinical Office, purchasing the previously rented plaza in Fort Pierce, and opening a 3,000-sq-ft medical office for a second adult primary care office in Vero Beach. The need for behavioral health (BH) services has significantly increased. The closure of the UF Health Center for Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine left approximately 2,600 patients without essential psychiatric, therapy, and substance use services. We expanded our BH Department to meet the growing demand and recently opened a stand-alone 3,100-sq-ft BH office.
Q: Tell us what makes you most proud of your work and your organization.
From our founder and CMO, Dr. Gerald Pierone, to our CEO, Marie Andress, and the entire senior leadership team, we are united in our mission to increase access to affordable, quality health care. We take pride in fostering a compassionate organization, maintaining a clean space, creating a welcoming environment, and hiring quality professionals to deliver excellent care. We prioritize diversity and inclusion so that all patients feel welcome, regardless of their background.
Having worked in retail pharmacy, I have seen patients ration their health care due to unaffordable medications. It is a privilege to work with the most needy, ensuring that all patients have access to quality medical care and the prescription medications necessary to treat their chronic conditions.
Q: How has your facility benefitted from the services of your 340B vendors/contractors?
Our TPAs have been crucial to our program and navigating evolving contract pharmacy restrictions. I rely on 340B Report for the latest news and legislative updates. Additionally, outside consulting agencies have been invaluable for independent audits, sharing best practices to ensure 340B compliance and optimization from their unique perspectives.
Q: What advice do you have for 340B covered entities or staff that are new to the program?
Get connected with your state’s PCA (FACHC in Florida), NACHC, and network with other leaders and health centers. Noddlepod is also a great resource to connect with health centers across the US. I have found a strong sense of community with health centers. By networking, you will find many resourceful leaders who are willing to share information and collaborate, as we all share a similar mission to increase access to care for all patients, especially those in need.
For questions, Edline can be reached at evictor@wfhcfl.org.
To learn more about Whole Family Health Center, Inc., click here.
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