FRIENDS of East Orlando Column

Jennifer Thompson

Great ideas come from great places, or at least that is what I mostly believe. Put yourself in the right environment, with the right people and you never know where the mind will wander. It’s not by accident that you feel academically inspired when walking across the campus at UCF. I’ve had the chance to sit in the offices of some pretty remarkable community leaders over the past few years and to participate in some pretty remarkable conversations about how together we can change the direction our community is headed, for the better.

One idea that consistently arises is that our community must have world-class healthcare facilities in order to be prosperous and sustainable. We must educate our citizens on the importance of preventative healthcare. We must understand the financial strain that we put on our community hospitals when we forgo health insurance coverage in lieu of a few extra bucks in our paychecks. And, we must understand that as good or as bad as we might think things are, somebody else will always have it better or worse than we do.

Significant strides have been made in the past year that will positively impact our region in the next decade. Although when looking at our specific area, east and southeast Orange County and Orlando, the impact of those same strides can be multiplied one hundred fold. That’s because the medical school, the VA hospital, the capital investment by Florida Hospital, the prospect of a new children’s hospital and the coming of the Burnham Institute—it’s all happening right here in our back yard.

2007 is certainly the year to become involved in helping to create a world-class healthcare community in our hometown. If you are a business owner, get involved in the East Orlando Chamber of Commerce’s Healthcare Commission or reward your employees for getting involved in an exercise program. If you are a community leader, find out how you can become involved in the Cuidate program, which just received a grant to study issues specific to East Orlando. If you are an educator, please try and incorporate healthy lifestyle choices into your teachings.

East Orlando has been given a gift—it’s the gift of opportunity. We have the opportunity to become a world-class community, not because of our great schools, great neighborhoods or abundant shopping centers but because of what is yet to come. Let this be the year that we curb our vices and integrate healthy choices into our daily routine. Not only will you feel better, but our community will be better for it.