Wimauma Clinic: Support the Underserved

The Impact

Wimauma, Florida, is just 40 minutes away from downtown Tampa and serves as an important agricultural center, growing fresh fruits and vegetables to feed Florida’s I-4 corridor between Tampa and Orlando. Wimauma's 6,500 year-round residential population nearly doubles during farming seasons and like many rural areas, Wimauma lacks access to comprehensive health care services. 

The Wimauma Clinic Fund was created to provide uninsured migrant and farm workers with acute care and preventive health care needs. The fund will continually support a comprehensive, free clinic in the Wimauma community, which will be staffed by volunteer students and faculty with support from interdisciplinary partnerships including mental health, nursing, medicine and physical therapy. 

What Your Gifts Will Do

Your gifts will provide long-term funding for patient care and outreach, clinical business operations and student leadership training.

Supporting these core areas will help improve spiritual, physical and psychological health throughout the Wimauma communities, keeping families safe, healthy and empowered.

Families and individuals in Wimauma are counting on this clinic to support their health care needs. You can help USF Health make this possible! 

"I am excited for future students to participate, learn from our diverse communities, be able to practice their medical Spanish and have this experience supplement traditional education opportunities which can really bring home our understanding of the varied and flexible opportunities available in nursing, especially in the public health setting." 

- Jelysbeth Bobadilla, USF Nursing Student

Who We Are

The Wimauma Clinic is a pilot program in partnership with USF Health, Wholesome Community Ministries and Tampa General Hospital. Pastor Carlos Irizarry, a trained paramedic and certified nurse, serves as the liaison between these community partnerships. Pastor Carlos was honored as a Lightning Community Hero in 2022 and from that grant, designated $25,000 to directly benefit the Wimauma Clinic. A truly inspiring gift that will help launch this initiative!

“For several years I have worked together with USF Health's College of Nursing," shares Pastor Carlos. "The mission of the clinic is to help people become well and resilient and with this fund, we will be able to transform wellness in the Wimauma community."

Dan Vukmer, USF Health's Chief Strategy Officer and Sr. Associate Dean of the Morsani College of Medicine, said that USF's involvement is instrumental in the clinic's success.  After data is collected over the next several months, the goal is to replicate and expand this program to more underserved areas in Florida.

“USF Health’s mission is to make life better for the communities we serve,” Vukmer said. “Wimauma is a prime opportunity to improve the health and wellbeing of those community members in need. We hope to work hand-in-hand with Wimauma community leaders to enhance access to our academic and community clinical services.”

Spread the Word

We are counting on your help! Make an even bigger impact by sharing your support of this campaign using the social media tools at the top of the page. 

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Join me in supporting accessible and affordable health care for our neighboring, rural communities at usf.to/wimauma