3.2
Located in the heart of the Brownsville neighborhood, the Jessie Trice Community Health Center at 5361 NW 22nd Ave (formally known as the Dr. Fatima Zafar Health & Wellness Center) is a historic pillar of Miami’s medical landscape.
Far from being just a clinic, this facility is the flagship location of Florida’s first-ever Federally Qualified Health Center, a pioneer in community-led medicine that has been transforming the health of Miami-Dade residents since 1967.
The Atmosphere: A Legacy of "Whole-Person" Care
Walking into the NW 22nd Avenue center feels like entering a "one-stop health village." It is a high-energy, multidisciplinary hub where the focus isn't just on treating symptoms, but on treating the person. The vibe is defined by cultural proficiency—the staff is a diverse, multilingual reflection of the community it serves, providing a rare sense of belonging for patients of all backgrounds.
What Makes This Location Unique
The "Trailer to Titan" History: Jessie Trice began its journey serving patients out of a single trailer in the late 60s. Today, this specific 22nd Avenue location is a state-of-the-art wellness fortress, representing over 55 years of grassroots expansion and resilience.
The "Annie R. Neasman" Teaching Annex: This site is home to a groundbreaking Family Medicine Residency Program. It is one of the few places in the nation where the next generation of physicians is trained specifically within a community health setting, ensuring that future doctors understand the social and economic factors that influence health.
The "User-Governed" Model: In a unique twist on medical administration, 51% of the center's Board of Directors must be active users of the center’s services. This ensures that the people making the big decisions are the same people sitting in the waiting room—making the care truly "by the community, for the community."
Multicultural Expertise: Operating under the CLAS model (Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services), this branch specializes in care for Miami’s English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole-speaking populations, removing the language barriers that often prevent quality care.
The Full-Spectrum Experience
The "Everything Hub": You can walk in for a pediatric check-up and leave with an optometry appointment, a dental cleaning, and a consultation with a behavioral health specialist—all in the same building.
Specialized Recovery: This location is part of a system that manages a 40-bed Women’s Residential Center, providing a safe haven for mothers and children, focusing on breaking the cycle of substance use while keeping families together.
Social Determinants Focus: They don’t just prescribe medicine; they prescribe stability. Through partnerships like Live Healthy Miami Gardens, the center helps coordinate access to housing, nutrition, and safety resources.
Quick Facts
Specialties: Family Medicine, Pediatrics, OB/GYN, Dental, Optometry, and Behavioral Health.
Operating Hours: Generally Mon–Fri 08:00 – 17:00, with extended hours available for Family Practice.
Accessibility: They offer transportation assistance to help patients get to and from their non-emergency appointments.
The Verdict: The Jessie Trice Center on 22nd Ave is a "Civic Heartbeat." It is a national model for how a community can take charge of its own well-being, offering world-class medical innovation with the heart of a neighborhood sanctuary.
Jessie Trice Community Health Center, Inc (JTCHC) is one of Miami-Dade County's preeminent federally qualified health centers, governed by a remarkably dedicated board of directors (51% of members are health care users) and a diverse, incredibly talented, dedicated family of providers and staff.
Affordable "medical homes" in the central and northern parts of the county make it easy to visit one of eleven (11) comprehensive primary health care sites. Our forty (40) health-based schools give parents peace of mind knowing that if an emergency occurs during the workday, their child has immediate access to a qualified medical professional.
The Center recognizes the importance of collaboration and has extensive community outreach through higher education institutions, foundations, coalitions, social service agencies, faith-based organizations and more. All of these agencies, whether through grants or partnerships, have been instrumental in helping JTCHC achieve its mission and achieve its strategic goals. Clinical results, as well as a focus on reducing health care disparities, rank us among the top community health organizations in the country, according to accreditation reviews from The Joint Commission. Our outpatient and behavioral health programs have been accredited since 1999, and in 2011, we were the first in Florida to be certified as a patient-centered health center.
- Family doctors
- Pediatricians
- Dentistry
- Psychologists
