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| Community Budget Issue Requests - Tracking Id #1248 |
| Working Together for Healthier Communities |
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| Requester: |
Celina Okpaleke |
Organization: |
We Care Services, Inc. |
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| Project Title: |
Working Together for Healthier Communities |
Date Submitted |
1/2/2008 10:48:24 AM |
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| Sponsors: |
Joyner |
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| Statewide Interest: |
| Everything in health care is changing-especially the number of elderly, infirmed and uninsured Americans! In fact, according to Florida�s Department of Health and Human Services, nearly 3 million individuals and families (23 percent) in the State of Florida are currently without adequate health care insurance.
We Care Services, Inc. (WCS), a sister company to Faith Home Health, Inc. and Faith Pharmacy, is a unique 501�3, non-profit agency opened in 1998 by Celina Okpaleke, a Physician Assistant. The mission is to assist in fundraising to provide high quality service to the indigent. The services are as follows:
Skilled: Home Healthcare, Skilled Nursing, Rehab, Social Service
Unskilled: Companion, Meal Preparing, Sitter, Personal Care Assistant, Respite Care, Yard Pick-up, House Cleaning, Errand Running, Homemaking, Free Medication Pick-Up and Delivery
and other assistance to elderly, disabled and homebound clients including those living with HIV/AIDS and other catastrophic illnesses, who don�t have the resources or health coverage to acquire these vital services on their own. We provide relief of human suffering, improve and extend the lives of people in our community.
With the cancellation of some of the services like homemaking which used to be covered by Medicaid, this makes it even more critical than ever. |
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| Recipient: |
We Care Services, Inc. |
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Contact: |
Celina Okpaleke |
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2508 W. Tampa Bay Blvd. |
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Contact Phone: |
(941) 730-9765 |
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Tampa 33607 |
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Contact email: |
cokpaleke@faithhomehealth.org |
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| Counties: |
Gadsden, Hardee, Highlands, Hillsborough, Jefferson, Leon, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota |
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| Gov't Entity: |
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Private Organization (Profit/Not for Profit): |
Yes |
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| Project Description: |
| We Care, Inc. is a 501.c.3.Private Non-Profit community based organization. Created to provide home health care services to all those in need, including birth to 18 years old, senior citizen, Medicare and Medicaid persons. Provide skilled: home health care; nursing; rehab; social services. Unskilled: companion/sitter; respite care; house cleaning; meal preparation; personal care assistance; errand running; yard pick-up. Pharmacy Services. We Care, Inc. grew out of its former �parent organization Faith Home Health, Inc., a 501.c.3. organization whose sole mission was and is still dedicated to enhancing the quality of life of each client, regardless of who they are or where they live. The goals are and were to provide home healthcare services to all those in need. Serving the communities with faith and love. Because of this mission and goal, workers visited homes that had neither faith nor love and lacked the resources for a basic quality of life. The CEO Celina Okpaleke being led by the Holy Spirit set out on only faith to bridge the gap by providing for FREE many needy services that were neither covered by insurances, Medicaid or Medicare. We Care, Inc., sole survivor has been from generous donations and in-kind sacrifices of the Faith Home Health, Inc., leadership. |
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| Is this a project related to a federal or state declared disaster? |
No |
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| Measurable Outcome Anticipated: |
| It is anticipated that We Care, Inc., will be able to significantly contact and, or serve between 2% to 5% of the listed populations in the three below identified primary service areas. It is anticipated that in the other 6 more rural service areas We Care, Inc., will provide services for 3% to 6% of the needy populations.
- Hillsborough County has approximately 372,189 of 1,154,949 individuals in need of some kind of health care services provided by We Care Services, Inc. 19,725 are medically underserved, 46,149 live alone, over 9,923 live in rural areas.
- Pinellas County has approximately 592,873 of a total population of 955,877 individuals who potentially need We Care, Inc. Services. 18,249 medically underserved, 77,048 live alone, with 251 living in rural areas.
- Manatee County has approximately 198,661 of a total population of 308,789 individuals who potentially need We Care, Inc. services. 16,774 are medically underserved, 22,115 live alone and 4,360 live in rural areas.
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| Amount requested from the State for this project this year: |
$400,000 |
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| Total cost of the project: |
$850,000 |
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| Request has been made to fund: |
Operations |
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| What type of match exists for this project? |
Local, Private |
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Cash Amount |
$50,000 |
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In-kind Amount |
$400,000 |
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| Was this project previously funded by the state? |
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No |
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| Is future-year funding likely to be requested? |
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Yes |
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Amount: |
$300,000 |
To Fund: |
Operations |
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| Was this project included in an Agency's Budget Request? |
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No |
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| Was this project included in the Governor's Recommended Budget? |
No |
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| Is there a documented need for this project? |
Yes |
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Documentation: |
Florida�s Department of Health and Human Services Statistics |
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| Was this project request heard before a publicly noticed meeting of a body of elected officials (municipal, county, or state)? |
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No |
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| Is this a water project as described in Section 403.885, Laws of Florida? |
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No |
