It’s safe to say most of SW Florida’s population is deeply invested in access to quality healthcare. Although the region has exceptional medical and long-term care facilities, we do not have an unlimited talent pool to fill all the available positions today.
Population, housing and the cost of living are not the only things on the rise—the need for medical talent will grow exponentially over the decades ahead.
The question remains: Who will care for us in 5, 10 or even 20 years from now?
The Immokalee Foundation’s popular Healthcare Pathway provides middle and high school students insight into healthcare careers. Through robust out-of-school activities, students are exposed to career options, including those outside the traditional medical doctor and nursing tracks.
For over 33 years, The Immokalee Foundation has been preparing the next generation of leaders through a 100% focus on education, career readiness, and professional development for students in Immokalee—from kindergarten through postsecondary education.
The Foundation provides new pathways to success and financial independence through robust programming that prepares students for well-paying, in-demand professional careers in Business Management & Entrepreneurship, Education & Human Services, Engineering & Construction Management, and Healthcare.
Foundation students currently demonstrate an interest in everything from nursing to radiology, occupational therapy to biomedical engineering. With industry-specific programming beginning in middle school, Immokalee Foundation students get a significant boost in professional development much earlier than most young people.
Consider this:
- 153 Immokalee Foundation high school students have participated in the Healthcare Pathway since it launched in 2019
- 86 Immokalee Foundation high school students currently participate in the Healthcare Pathway
- Since 2021, 100% of our Healthcare Pathway students have completed a paid internship before high school graduation
- 100% of our Healthcare Pathway graduates pursue postsecondary education after high graduation
Whether it is a field trip to NCH or Healthcare Network, presentations from successful Foundation alums, or a Lunch & Learn with a Physicians Regional Healthcare System team, our students continue to learn they have a community of healthcare professionals on their side.
In fact, for the fourth consecutive year, Physicians Regional will generously cover the costs for the Foundation’s Healthcare Summer Camp at Florida Gulf Coast University. Beneficiaries will include 42 Immokalee Foundation Healthcare Pathway students, ages 13-17.
Physicians Regional will also host 13 interns this summer at its Pine Ridge and Collier Boulevard hospitals. Students will shadow healthcare professionals in various specialties while participating in medical-office support activities.
“As an organization responsible for providing compassionate care to a significant amount of Southwest Florida, we must always be looking forward,” said Scott Lowe, Market CEO of Physicians Regional Healthcare System. “It’s great to know that Immokalee’s best and brightest young people are positioning themselves now to be there when we need them the most.”
In addition to Physicians Regional, student interns will be hosted by NCH, Healthcare Network, Patty Baker Humane Society of Naples, and Conservancy of Naples this summer.
Whether community members realize it or not, they are likely crossing paths with Immokalee Foundation alumni regularly. These skilled men and women are essential to life in Southwest Florida.
Our alums are consumers, taxpayers, friends, neighbors, volunteers and community leaders. Specific to healthcare, they are physicians, nurses, technicians, and administrators at regional healthcare facilities. As aging and increased vulnerability go hand in hand, each one of these dedicated professionals is doing their part to care for us as these life transitions occur.
The Immokalee Foundation has supported over 16,000 students since opening its doors and is serving the needs of over 1,300 students this year alone.
When you support The Immokalee Foundation, you’re supporting a healthier future—for all of us.
Donate to The Immokalee Foundation Today!
This article was originally published in Coastal Breeze News – April 25, 2025
