Lead Organization: Easter Seals South Florida
Contacts:
- Martha Castilleja, Center Director, Easter Seals South Florida, mcastilleja@sfl.easterseals.com
- Angela Aracena, Senior Director Adult Day Services, Easter Seals South Florida, aaracena@sfl.easterseals.com
Partners and Collaborators Include: Nova Southeastern University, Florida International University, City of Hialeah, City of Pembroke Pines, individuals with disability, Healthy Family Initiative coalition, Florida Coastal Geriatric Resources
South Florida features two inclusive health coalitions in the neighboring cities of Hialeah and Pembroke Pines, led by Easter Seals South Florida. They are working with a diverse range of partners, including Florida International University, Florida Coastal Geriatric Resources, Nova Southeastern University, and disability and inclusion advocates from within the communities they serve to create the best strategies for assessment of the communities and the schools, organizations, and businesses that comprise them with the Community Health Inclusion Index (CHII). Additionally, they have joined the Healthy Family Initiative coalition to ensure inclusion is practiced in all stages of their efforts, and to explore more opportunities for formal community assessment with an even wider range of partners and participants. The IHCs’ current focus is to have all members, as well as student volunteers from university partners, trained on the usage of the CHII as they begin the "boots on the ground" work of assessing all aspects of the built environment within their communities to determine areas where inclusion and inclusive practices can be created and improved.