You’re only as healthy as the community around you
In May of 2020, I broke my leg. I’ll neither confirm nor deny if I was riding a skateboard at the time, but my point is that as I went through that process of healing I became deeply aware of the power of community.
After I was discharged from the ER without much further intervention, I began to reach out to my network of friends to help me find a second opinion. I realized that it was not enough to have health insurance and access to care. It was the relationships with people I trusted who were connected in ways I was not that helped me access the best possible care.
The physical communities we live in have a similar effect, especially in lower-income neighborhoods where the extent of your network and resources could be limited. Whether it’s access to good food, quality housing, transportation or jobs — the strength of your neighborhood plays a vital role in defining your opportunities.
For many of our neighbors in Central Florida, the pursuit of basic life goals can feel like trying to run up a downward escalator. This is particularly true for those who live in neighborhoods with the least amount of investments in housing, education, health care and economic opportunities.
Some neighborhoods have been strengthened over time by public and private investments that enable upward mobility and greater access to opportunity. Meanwhile, other neighborhoods have been weakened by decades of disinvestment along historic racial and social lines.
This is the reason why the No. 1 predictor of life outcomes in America today is the ZIP code where you grow up. These vulnerabilities hurt all of us as they unravel our collective civic and social fabric, leading to social problems that impact the entire region.
But, what if we could reverse the downward escalator?
That is the goal of Lift Orlando, a nonprofit founded in 2013 in a strategic alliance with Florida Citrus Sports. It’s a unique partnership between residents, business, and community leaders dedicated to strengthening the historic neighborhoods around Camping World Stadium, known as The Communities of West Lakes. Together, we work toward shared goals for strategic investments in mixed-income housing, cradle-to-career education, health and wellness, and economic viability.
On Wednesday, we celebrate one of our most anticipated community investments in 32805 with the groundbreaking of the Heart of West Lakes Wellness Center, developed in partnership with AdventHealth, Orlando Health, and Florida Blue. It will include services ranging from a fitness studio to a coworking space. A federally qualified health-care provider, Community Health Centers, will also deliver primary care, behavioral care, and same-day services, regardless of insurance coverage.
Most health-care interventions in low-income neighborhoods focus on health-care access alone. Lift Orlando’s multifaceted approach addresses clinical needs, which impact 20% of one’s well-being, as well as social, environmental, behavioral, and economic needs that play a role in 80% of all health outcomes.
Ultimately, our city prospers when every neighborhood in it prospers. But right now, not every neighborhood has the necessary resources for families to thrive, especially following the pandemic. We all have a role to play in ensuring each neighborhood in Orlando is a thriving community with safe and affordable places to live, engaging and effective schools, and vital health services.
As for my leg: After two surgeries and a full recovery, I’m forever grateful for the skills and dedication of the medical staff and everyone involved in my healing. But, were it not for my community I might have had a very different outcome. They made all the difference in restoring my health and mobility.
Together, we can produce very different outcomes for generations to come. We can reverse decades of injustice by investing in the power of community. Not only could we bring about health and economic mobility for thousands within The Communities of West Lakes and the 32805 ZIP code, but we can help make Orlando stronger. Because a city is only as strong as the strength of its neighborhoods.
Eddy Moratin is the president of Lift Orlando, a nonprofit that works with residents, business leaders, and community partners for neighborhood revitalization in The Communities of West Lakes near Orlando’s Camping World Stadium.