AdventHealth Ocala Foundation establishes health initiative for workers in equine industry
As anyone in Ocala knows, horses aren’t just a livelihood, they’re a way of life; and the people working in the equine industry are the ones who drive the engine of the local economy.
Their top priority is making sure it stays running, and they’re often the unseen heroes who sometimes have unnoticed challenges.
Amy Mangan, executive director of AdventHealth Ocala Foundation, recognized those hurdles after talking with a horse farmer friend of hers that led her to embark on a mission to bridge the gap in providing accessible health care for these essential workers. It all started when her friend confided to her about conversations he’d had with fellow owners, managers and farmworkers echoing the same topic: access to health care. Mangan, determined to find a way to help, took it to her leadership team.
“I really have to give it up to the hospital for being proactive,” she said. “We needed to understand the barriers and find a way to provide care where it’s most needed.”
They rolled up their sleeves and got down to work, engaging with the people in the industry who intimately knew and understood the challenges. Candid discussions and conversations identified some particularly critical needs: awareness and access. Many workers lacked the knowledge of where their options for available health care resources were, and also had significant hurdles with transportation and scheduling. From there, the vision began to take shape very quickly.
The first meeting was in June, and by August they had rolled out a prospectus and a fundraising campaign for Harnessing Health: Equine Worker Health Initiative.
The health initiative program includes a bilingual Healthcare Navigator to assess needs, build services and bridge gaps of care for equine workers, traveling to multiple locations — including farms — to provide outreach and enrollment assistance. The navigator would also help shepherd workers through the maze of an often-complicated health care system and coordinating with other agencies.
A mobile health clinic, funded by the hospital and operated by the navigator. is another element of the program designed to address access. It would travel to reach farmworkers where they are — directly convenient for them rather than requiring them to travel miles for an exam or appointment.
Clinics like this would bring access onsite to workers and make the entire process much easier and more efficient.
Mangan pitched the idea to the foundation board, and almost without hesitation they rallied behind it, agreeing to fund the navigator and simultaneously launching a new residency program for family practitioners to participate in Harnessing Health. The HH program is designed to address chronic health issues, conduct blood tests and provide wellness education among other things — and the mobile clinic would serve as a lifeline to the communities.
“It’s quite a remarkable commitment for the hospital to make.” Mangan acknowledges. “We see this as serving a coordination role; connecting workers to the right resources.”
The mobile clinic’s care may include typical primary care such as well visits and physicals, point of care tests for blood glucose, pregnancy, rapid strep, and immunization. Equipment for the facility on wheels includes equipment exam tables, lights, privacy screens, a portable blood pressure machine, oximeter and defibrillator.
AdventHealth Ocala’s strategic steps include establishing a two-year strategic plan and rollout which began in 2023, providing quarterly status updates with key performance indicators, engaging agency partners, assessing needs and gaps, hosting an equine worker health fair, hiring the health care navigator, establishing health outreach and partnerships and purchasing the mobile clinic van and medical equipment.
A fundraising campaign to raise a total of $350,000 has been launched to fund the mobile unit vehicle. AdventHealth Ocala Foundation donated $10,000 to the Care 360 program, which coordinates transportation, meal deliveries and other services for underserved patients — including the equine workers. Future plans include support for medical residents traveling with the mobile clinic, providing educational resources and equipment as necessary. In turn, this could expand the opportunities to increase training for residents, nurses and other staff.
The Florida Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association (FTBOA) endorsed the project almost immediately, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Mangan and her team. Their enthusiasm and support have helped get the word out to the community and raise money towards the final goal.
“They’ve been tremendous partners,” Mangan says. “The equine community is the heart of Ocala. This initiative is an extension of AdventHealth’s commitment to that community and a testament to our shared values.”
FTBOA president and AdventHealth Ocala Foundation board member George Isaacs agreed, expressing complete confidence in the new objective.
“AdventHealth Ocala has stepped up to assist our farmworkers,” he says, “in a way that I believe will impact their physical and emotional well-being for years to come.”
Industry stakeholders and community leaders interested in contributing to the program can contact Mangan at 352-857-5388 or email at amy.mangan@adventhealth.com. Interested donors can also go to the website at yourgenerosityhealsocala.com and add the level of giving you would like to donate.
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Workers in Marion County equine industry benefit from health program
