Archive for the
‘Other’ Category

By Christopher Curry
The Gainesville Sun

While the third year of Affordable Care Act enrollment continues through the end of January, a key deadline is approaching Tuesday.

The date is important for two reasons. First, it is the last day to to sign up to have health coverage through an ACA insurance plan in place Jan. 1, said Lauren Vagelakos, who oversees the nonprofit WellFlorida Council’s ACA navigator program in North Central Florida.

Anyone signing up after Tuesday must wait until Feb. 1 for […]

Editorial by the Ocala Star Banner

Where to start? That could easily have been the question when the Marion County Hospital District board voted last month to spend $2.5 million on grants aimed at improving the health of county residents. There certainly were plenty of options.

The money is the first to be spent from the $213 million the district received for leasing Munroe Regional Medical Center to Community Health Systems for the next 40 years. The money must be spent on improving the […]

By Raphael Pires
WUFT News

A lack of exercise and high consumption of junk food are often associated with the American way of life. To some, these habits can be costly health risks.

Though life expectancy has improved and infant mortality has decreased for all Americans, some minorities still have higher risks of preventable diseases, death and disability than non-minorities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

Anne Packham, a marketplace project coordinator at the Primary Care Access Network in Orlando, Florida described cases […]

Sumter County Times

Just as an individual has health care needs that are unique to them, so are the health care needs of communities. The needs that Sumter County residents face can be very different from those other counties experience.

To determine the needs of Sumter County, residents and business leaders are being encouraged to take a community health survey the can help steer health care providers.

The Central Florida Health Alliance (CFHA) and WellFlorida Council are conducting surveys to gauge the health of communities […]

WellFlorida News Release

The Central Florida Health Alliance (CFHA) and WellFlorida Council are conducting surveys to gauge the health of our communities in Lake, Sumter and South Marion counties. Citizens and business leaders are invited to share their views on health and healthcare in the region by taking a 10 minute survey. Survey participants will have the opportunity to win a $50 VISA gift card.

The surveys are available at www.WellFlorida.org (select “Survey”). To receive a printed version of the surveys, or for […]

Ocala Star Banner

The Central Florida Health Alliance and WellFlorida Council are conducting surveys to gauge the health of communities in Lake, Sumter and south Marion counties.

Citizens and business people are invited to share their views on health and healthcare in the region by taking a 10 minute survey. Participants will have the opportunity to win a $50 VISA gift card.

The surveys are available at www.WellFlorida.org (select “Survey”). To receive a printed version, or for additional information, contact Lindsey Redding at

Special to The Sun
By Lauren Vagelakos

Open enrollment for the health insurance marketplace has been underway since Nov. 1. During Open Enrollment, consumers are able to log on to Healthcare.gov and view plans available to them, as well as enroll or re-enroll in coverage. Open enrollment ends on Jan. 30. However, if consumers want their health coverage to begin as early as the first day of the New Year, they must enroll in a health plan by Dec. 15.

Financial help is available through […]

The Gainesville Sun

Health Insurance Marketplace Navigators from WellFlorida Council and other local organizations will provide free enrollment assistance at the “Get Covered for the New Year” event.

It will take place from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Dec. 5 at the Santa Fe Center for Innovation and Economic Development, or CIED, at 530 W. University Ave. Walk-ins and RSVPs are welcome.

Attendees should either bring or know the Social Security numbers for everyone who will be on their health insurance plan and also supporting documentation […]

By Fred Hiers
Ocala Star Banner

It has been more than three weeks since the Marion County Hospital District opened its $2.5 million grant process, but no group has submitted an application yet. The deadline is Dec. 31.

District trustee grant Chairman David Cope said at this point he isn’t worried that no one will come knocking on the district’s door with hat in hand. The application is several pages long and requires detailed explanations about how the money would be used, who in […]

WellFlorida News Release

Health Insurance Marketplace Navigators from WellFlorida Council and other local organizations will be providing free enrollment assistance at the Get Covered for the New Year event on Saturday, Dec. 5 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Santa Fe Center for Innovation and Economic Development (CIED), 530 West University Avenue, Gainesville.

Navigators are trained and certified to provide unbiased information on health insurance options available through the Health Insurance Marketplace on Healthcare.gov.

Several area Navigators, including two of whom are fluent in Spanish, […]