Fort Myers Mayor Anderson Praises a New Healthcare Option for Area Seniors

Transformative Care for Seniors Comes to Fort Myers with Today’s Grand Opening
of first Dedicated Senior Medical Center in Lee County
The first of two Dedicated centers opening in Fort Myers promises to provide better health
to the region’s most vulnerable residents

Fort Myers, FL – September 14, 2022 – Fort Myers Mayor Kevin B. Anderson praised the compassion and care promised by Dedicated Senior Medical Center, a senior-focused primary care provider, during today’s grand opening celebration of its first medical practice in Lee County. The opening signals continued rapid expansion by ChenMed throughout Southwest Florida. The new Dedicated center (4650 Cleveland Avenue, Suite 15A, Fort Myers, Florida 33907; 239-689-7411) is the first of two opening quickly to provide affordable VIP care that delivers better health to thousands of aging Fort Myers residents.

“Our commitment to underserved communities has never been stronger,” said Dr. Ernesto Manzano-Maciera, ChenMed Regional Chief Medical Officer, Miami-Dade and Lee Counties. “Today is a banner day for thousands of at-risk seniors throughout Fort Myers. They now can join legions of greater Tampa Bay seniors enjoying substantially better health because of their outstanding relationships with Dedicated doctors.”
“I’m glad that there’s a facility like this in town that seems highly knowledgeable, highly professional, with a great-looking facility and to have access to your doctor 24/7 with a cell phone shows a level of dedication of the staff at this facility, and that the care and treatment of seniors is number one” said Mayor Kevin B. Anderson. “Another great part of this story is that this is a piece of commercial property that has been vacant for years. Now, it’s been turned into something that’s very productive for the community and that’s always good when we see economic development.”

Dedicated centers are universally located in underserved neighborhoods, where lack of access to high quality primary care and other social determinants of health, have negatively impacted longevity for many years. These barriers have shortened average life spans by as much as 20 years when compared to older adults living in nearby more affluent zip codes. So, the innovative medical practice is working to address what Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. heralded more than 50 years ago: “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and inhuman.”

Joining Mayor Anderson was 5th Ward Councilmember Fred Burson in today’s festive grand opening celebration, which featured food, music, giveaways, and tours of the new facility by more than 100 local seniors and community leaders. The joy-filled ribbon-cutting ceremony also included local dignitaries; faith leaders; ChenMed/Dedicated leaders; plus, both the first and hundredth local seniors to already join the new center’s family of patients.

Dedicated doctors fulfill their purpose by being accountable for helping their patients achieve better health, including responding quickly to patient calls or texts to their cell phones and honoring same-day telehealth or in-person appointments, when needed. Plus, Dedicated centers offer services that help reduce barriers to healthy living, from transportation assistance to on-site medications, to helping with social services.
“Our doctors and care teams do whatever it takes to help vulnerable seniors stay healthy and happy,” explained Mary Lilko, D.O., medical director for Dedicated’s new “Boardwalk” center in Fort Myers. “We deliver affordable VIP care that includes patients getting more frequent visits with their primary physician, while also enjoying the convenience of one-stop visits where lab work and pharmacy needs are handled on-site, without the need to wait, make another appointment or go elsewhere.”

The second Dedicated Senior Medical Center in Fort Myers will open in the coming weeks. Dedicated will continue expanding across Florida and the nation to meet the needs of at-risk seniors.

About ChenMed
ChenMed, headquartered in Miami, is a privately owned medical, management and technology company that delivers the high-touch and personalized primary care Medicare-eligible seniors need to enjoy better health. The hyper-growth company operates more than 100 senior medical centers in more than 12 states. Named one of Fortune 2020 “Change the World” companies, a “Most Loved Workplace” by Newsweek Magazine, and a certified Great Place to Work® by the Great Place to Work Institute, ChenMed brings concierge-style medicine and better health outcomes to the neediest populations. ChenMed brands include Chen Senior Medical Center, Dedicated Senior Medical Center, JenCare Senior Medical Center and IntuneHealthTM. Thanks to its leading healthcare technology organization, CurityTM, ChenMed was recently named a “Best Place to Work in IT” by IDG’s Insider Pro and ComputerWorld.