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PATCHES, a non-profit pediatric medical daycare center serving some of South Miami-Dade’s most disadvantaged children from birth to age 21, recently celebrated a milestone in its capital campaign to build the PATCHES Village, a permanent campus nestled on five acres of land in Florida City, with the receipt of a pledge for $500,000 over five years from its affiliated fundraising group, Heartbeats for PATCHES. The initial contribution for 2022 is $130,000.
The Village has been a long-cherished dream of PATCHES’ founders Kyle Smith and Joanie Ippolito, who for nearly 20 years have provided non-profit medical daycare for up to 65 children in a rented converted warehouse space. The centerpiece of the new Village campus at S. Redland Road and SW 352nd Street, will be a 50,000-square-foot state-of-the-art building to provide pediatric and young adult medical daycare, skilled nursing treatment, specialized schooling, speech, occupational and physical therapies, dietary support, an on-site pharmacy, and social services to support children with complex and chronic medical needs, and their families.
One of the important and truly groundbreaking features of the new complex will be a place for young adults, who at 21 years age out of pediatric medical facilities, to continue to receive medical care, therapy, and support throughout their lifetimes.
“Our vision is to build a permanent facility that provides accessible nursing and therapeutic care, along with personalized education to foster optimal growth and development for these seriously ill children, as well as fully support our patients’ families and our community,” Smith explained. She notes that all qualified children are accepted at PATCHES, regardless of the family’s ability to pay.
In addition to Heartbeats for PATCHES president Jennifer Resnick and her volunteer board, who organize fundraisers throughout the year on PATCHES’ behalf, the presentation will be attended by Florida City Mayor Otis T. Wallace and City of Homestead Commissioner and longtime PATCHES supporter Larry Roth.
The noon event will showcase renderings and plans of the new Village crafted on a pro bono basis by the architectural firm of Pascual, Perez, Kiliddjian, Starr and Associates of Doral. The campus is expected to cost nearly $20 million, comprised of private and foundation donations and grants, along with hoped-for state and federal funds. Groundbreaking for the facility is anticipated to occur within three years.
Children who qualify for PATCHES PPEC (Pediatric Prescribed Extended Care) are usually referred from local hospitals — particularly Nicklaus Children’s Hospital — and may be suffering from medical complexities due to premature birth, terminal illness, recovery from complex surgeries, severe asthma or other respiratory conditions, life-threatening cardiac issues, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, Down Syndrome, other rare genetic disorders, or birth to mothers with AIDS or drug addictions.
Some 59 percent of the families with children at PATCHES fall under the federal poverty level. While PATCHES receives Medicaid funds from eligible patients, the facility largely relies on the generosity of the community and donors to fully meet its needs. Due to the life-changing therapy, medical care and educational support, the majority of the children who enroll at PATCHES eventually assimilate into the community and local school system with their normal peer group.
Visit www.patchesppec.org.
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