Miami, Florida – Community Health of South Florida, Inc. (CHI) achieved gold status as a “Health Center Quality Leader,” a prestigious national award given by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). CHI received this award in recognition of ranking among the top 10% of health centers for best overall clinical performance.

“This award shows that we are making progress in reducing health disparities,” said Brodes H. Hartley Jr., President/CEO at CHI. “Our team managed to exceed national quality benchmarks and achieved top tier results providing greater access to high-quality care and we continue to address critical issues such as improvements in cancer reduction and the increasing need for behavioral health services in our community.”

HRSA awarded CHI based on a comparison of CHI’s clinical quality measures to more than 1,400 other health centers throughout the United States.

HRSA recognized CHI as one of the highest performing health centers nationwide linked to significant quality improvements from the previous years. CHI increased access to comprehensive care and made strides in pediatric immunizations, cervical cancer screening and coronary artery disease prevention.

Since 1971, CHI has been a beacon of hope providing access to high quality healthcare for all regardless of insurance status, income level or background. The non-profit federally qualified health center offers comprehensive healthcare services including primary care, pediatrics, OB/GYN, dental, urgent care, behavioral health, vision, radiology, pharmacy, transportation and more. CHI has 11 health centers and 35 school-based sites. CHI is a recipient of the Florida Governor’s Sterling Award. It is accredited by the Joint Commission and is also designated as a patient centered medical home by the National Committee for Quality Assurance. CHI is also designated as a behavioral health medical home. In addition, CHI is home to the Brodes H. Hartley Jr., Teaching Health Center, providing residency training for the next generation of doctors in the specialties of Family medicine and Psychiatry. CHI recently broke ground on the first Children’s Crisis Center in southern Miami-Dade County this month. It will service kids with severe behavioral health problems from Monroe and Miami-Dade Counties.

(Talladega, AL)  Talladega College scholar Patria Gatson was voted Miss Talladega College 2020-2021 on Thursday, September 24, 2020.  Patria, a biology pre-med major,  previously served as Miss Junior. She is a member of the Presidential Honor Society and numerous Talladega College clubs and organizations. She was also a member of the Talladega College team that won the Alabama Business Pitch Competition. Patria's Miss Talladega platform is Aspire to Inspire. Talladega College President Dr. Billy C. Hawkins presented Patria with her Miss Talladega College sash. 

"I am extremely humbled by this moment.  Everything I've done, I've done for the betterment of this campus.  It's more than me.  It's always been more than me," said Patria, who thanked her fellow students for "supporting" and "encouraging" her. 

Anthony Jones, advisor to Miss Talladega College and Miss UNCF Talladega College, stated, “After 20 years of serving as the Miss Talladega College advisor, I am still excited about welcoming and training our new representative. Due to the pandemic, we had to cancel some of our traditional activities and our pageant had to be virtual this year. Nevertheless, everything worked out beautifully."

Talladega has recently undergone unprecedented campus-wide renovation. A new state-of-the-art residence hall opened in January, 2019. The Dr. William R. Harvey Museum of Art, which houses Hale Woodruff’s critically-acclaimed Amistad Murals and other works of art, opened in January 2020, and a naming ceremony for the Dr. Billy C. Hawkins Student Activity Center was held in August, 2020.

The oldest private Historically Black College in Alabama, Talladega College was founded in 1867 by two newly freed enslaved men, William Savery and Thomas Tarrant. Today, Talladega College is ranked among the best regional colleges, top HBCUs and best value colleges. It is the home of Hale Woodruff’s critically-acclaimed Amistad Murals.

Photo:  Mary Sood 

Winfrey To Discuss Her New Initiative “OWN Your Vote” with NAACP President and CEO and Other Key Leaders in the Fight for Voting Rights, Focused Specifically on Mobilizing Black Women to Vote 

WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 22, 2020) – Oprah Winfrey and OWN have joined together with the NAACP and national voting rights leaders to host “OWN Your Vote: Our Lives Depend On it,” a virtual conversation aimed to inspire and equip thousands of voters and community leaders with specific steps they can take to register to vote, request their absentee ballots, and mobilize voters throughout their community. Slated to take place on September 24, 2020, at 8:00 PM EST, the hour-long conversation will include remarks from leaders in the fight for voting rights, including Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, Stacey Abrams (Fair Fight), Minyon Moore (Power Rising), Tiffany Dena Loftin (NAACP Youth and College), Judith Browne Dianis, and other key leaders. Join this conversation by visiting bit.ly/OprahZoom and registering today!

“We are excited to work with OWN, Ms. Winfrey and other key voting rights leaders as we engage our members, activists, and community leaders around the country about the importance of this election and their vote,” said Derrick Johnson, president and CEO, NAACP. “Her voice during this critical time when communities not only need reassurance in their ability to affect change but encouragement and enlightenment on how to do so with clear impact cannot be overstated.”

As the nation reels from the effects of COVID-19, racial injustice, and voter suppression, OWN Your Vote seeks to shed light on the solution through a bipartisan registration and a get-out-the-vote campaign aimed at providing OWN’s audience of Black women with tools and resources to overcome voter suppression in the November election. The pro-social campaign connects people to urgent political actions and gives their concerns a powerful microphone by placing a spotlight on crucial community issues.

“OWN is proud to partner with the NAACP and prominent voting rights leaders to hold this important conversation to energize and engage our community to vote this November,” said Tina Perry, president of OWN. “This is a critical time in our history to come together and raise our voices.”

Along with shedding light on why this moment is paramount for Black women to use their voice, Ms. Winfrey will also moderate a panel discussion that will bring attention to barriers to voting, what everyone should know about this election, and how they can overcome voter suppression in their community.

The OWN Your Vote campaign has been informed by a study OWN conducted with over 700 Black women of voting age to identify critical issues affecting them. The political impact tracking study determined that affordable health care and racism/discrimination are the two most relevant issues to Black women this election season.

OWN Your Vote Partner Organizations include:

Advancement Project National Office

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated

AME Church Social Action Commission

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated

Fair Fight Action

Higher Heights Leadership Fund

Joseph and Evelyn Lowery Institute for Justice and Human Rights

The Kapor Center

The King Center (Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Inc.)

Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

The Links, Incorporated

NAACP

NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF)

National Council of Negro Women

National Urban League

Power Rising

Power to the Polls

Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated

Sistahs in Business Expo

Vote Run Lead

Vote.org

VoteAsIf.org

When We All Vote

Woke Vote

Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated

The Southern Area of The Links, Incorporated presents the second in a series of Surviving, Thriving and Mobilizing and the New South Virtual Town Hall Meetings! On Thursday, September 24th at 9 PM EST, witness "Politics, Faith & Media: Harnessing the Collective Power of When We All Vote." Joining the one hour 15 minute discussion will be one of the most powerful men in politics, House Majority Whip Rep. James Clyburn, renowned activist and faith leader, Bishop William Barber and journalist/talk show host Roland Martin. The meeting will be shown live via Facebook telecast, on the Southern Area Website (www.salinksinc.org) and via Youtube.

(Talladega, AL)   Angela Poole, Ph.D., CPA, has been named vice president for administration and finance at Talladega College in Talladega, AL.  Dr. Poole brings over 20 years of professional financial management, leadership training, executive coaching, and consulting experience to the institution. 

She will develop long and short-range strategic financial plans for the College; direct and oversee the institution’s business functions; and provide leadership and administration for the Division of Administration and Finance by directing and overseeing budget administration, financial planning, accounting and investments, purchasing and contracts, administrative support, auxiliary enterprises, information technology, human resources, facilities, and risk management.  As a member of Talladega’s senior executive staff, she will participate in institutional planning, policy development and problem resolution.

Dr. Poole is a seasoned executive whose expertise includes implementing plans for fiscal stabilization to manage expenses, grow revenues, and reduce debt. Her professional experiences include higher education administration, not-for-profit leadership, accounting, consulting, and systems implementation. She has also worked at senior levels with professional consulting firms, medical centers, local municipalities and state agencies.  

Prior to joining the College, she served as a managing consultant for AMP Expert Solutions.  Prior to AMP Expert Solutions, she served as senior vice president for business affairs/CFO for Bethune-Cookman University.

She earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), a Master of Accountancy degree from Florida State University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from the School of Business and Industry at FAMU.  Dr. Poole completed a graduate certificate program in Institutional Effectiveness from the State University System of New York (SUNY).

She has been a licensed Florida Certified Public Accountant since 1999. She is also a certified Business Process Reengineering and Strategic Planning Practitioner and a trained Design Think facilitator.

Her current and past involvement in professional and civic organizations includes: Founding President of The Foundation for Wealth Building, former Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Tallahassee Christian College and Training Center, Lifetime member of the FICPA Scholarship Foundation, the National Association of College and University Business Officers, and Lifetime member of the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University National Alumni Association.

Partnership kicks off with a joint four-state presidential radio buy on African American radio stations in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan and North Carolina.

WASHINGTON – AFSCME and the NAACP launched on Saturday two radio ads which will run in the Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Detroit, Flint, Raleigh, Charlotte and Greensboro markets through election day. Both the AFSCME and NAACP ads slam President Trump’s failures to combat COVID-19, while the virus continues to exact a brutal and disproportionate toll on the Black community.

“While Trump lied, Black people died,” says the NAACP ad before urging voters to request a ballot and make a plan to vote. “Trump spends his time golfing, while COVID-19 hits the black community hard,” says the voiceover in the AFSCME ad (paid for by AFSCME’s PAC, AFSCME PEOPLE) contrasting Trump’s record with that of Joe Biden’s to protect health care. The significant ad buys jumpstart a partnership between the two organizations that will focus on Black voter education and mobilization based on what is at stake in November and beyond for communities of color.

The partnership marks a new chapter in the shared activism and close bond between the civil rights community and AFSCME. Together, the NAACP and AFSCME are addressing the deep-seated racial injustices and corrupt incompetence which have forced Black communities across the country to bear the brunt of the health and economic crises facing the nation.

“The Black vote will determine the outcome of this consequential election, and we must ensure that we use this influence to elect leaders who will empower our communities,” said NAACP President Derrick Johnson. “This historic collaboration is proof that our communities are united during these critical times. From the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 to ongoing police brutality experienced by black people, we must turn out to vote in November — and every election — if we are to achieve the representation and policy changes that will protect our communities. We must ensure that every voice is heard because our lives and future depend on it.”

Listen to the NAACP ad, While He Lied, Black People Died, here.

“I can’t recall an election where fundamental issues of racial justice have been more at stake,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders. “It’s going to take overwhelming turnout among African Americans and communities of color to prevail in November. That’s why AFSCME has entered into this unique partnership with the NAACP. By combining our resources and expertise, we will mobilize voters in targeted states who are tired of leaders who stoke racial resentment and head for the links while Black and brown people die by the thousands. This collaboration — between our two organizations that have done so much to advance civil rights, labor rights and human rights — will help ensure that voters are informed and empowered this November to elect leaders who will invest in all our communities and unite us around shared values.” 

Listen to the AFSCME ad here: https://youtu.be/rpWh6P2fGmI

A Sunshine Meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m., tomorrow, Monday, September 14, 2020 regarding the renaming of the Miami International Airport. The meeting is between Commissioners Esteban Bovo, Vice-Chairwoman Rebecca Sosa and Chairwoman Audrey Edmonson. We don’t know any additional details. There was a previous attempt in 2018 by Commissioner Jean Monestime to rename the airport after Former City of Miami Mayor Maurice Ferre. Commissioner Sosa objected; the airport is located in her commission district.

Meeting details are in the notice below.   

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE IS GIVEN that a Sunshine Meeting between the Honorable Commissioner Esteban L. Bovo, Jr., Miami-Dade County Commissioner, District 13; the Honorable Audrey M. Edmonson, Chairwoman, Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners, District 3; and the Honorable Rebeca Sosa, Vice-Chairwoman, Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners, District 6, is scheduled for Monday, September 14, 2020, at 1:00 p.m., to discuss Miami International Airport Renaming. This meeting will only be held virtually utilizing communications media technology made permissible pursuant to the Governor’s Executive Orders.

Interested parties may:

(1) Join the meeting live online to speak where permissible or listen to the meeting by registering in advance at: https://miamidade.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4iY3NPRdTdyoXP8D3YmawA. Zoom registration will be available beginning September 10, 2020;

(2) Call into the live meeting by phone to speak, if permissible, or listen to the meeting by dialing in at: US Toll-free 877-853- 5247 or 888-788-0099 and using Meeting ID: 992 5401 6580; to avoid delays you may register in advance at https://miamidade.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4iY3NPRdTdyoXP8D3YmawA

(3) if you are deaf or hard of hearing, you may join the meeting using Florida Relay Service by dialing 711 on your telephone.

1. Miami-Dade County provides equal access and equal opportunity in its programs, services and activities and does not discriminate on the basis of disability. To request materials in accessible format, a sign language interpreter, Communication Access Real-time Translation services, and/or any other accommodation to participate in any County meeting, please contact Lenna Borjes, (305) 375-5380, Lenna.Borjes@miamidade.gov at least three days in advance of the meeting to initiate your request. TTY users may also call 711 (Florida Relay Service).

If you have any questions or require additional information regarding the virtual meeting, please contact Lenna Borjes at the Office of Commissioner Esteban Bovo, Jr. (DIST. 13) at (305) 375- 5380 or send an email to: Lenna.Borjes@miamidade.gov. (Due to COVID -19, staff is currently working remotely, but will respond within a reasonable period of time to messages which have been received).

HARVEY RUVIN, CLERK

MELISSA ADAMES, DEPUTY CLERK