22 | CFHN
centralfloridahealthnews.com
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Karl Duce
President, AAI
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Cell: (863) 412-8229
Email: [email protected]
www.ebdins.com
A 
s Polk officials gathered for the 2026 Polk Vision State of the 
County in April, Florida Department of Health-Polk County Health 
Officer Aaron Kissler offered a glimpse into plans to address the 
concerns identified in the county’s latest Community Health Assess-
ment.
Access to Health Services
• Increase referrals to the Polk County Healthcare Plan.
• Increase the number of residents receiving community-based/
mobile health services.
• Increase students assessed for dental sealant eligibility.
Behavioral Health
• Decrease stigma surrounding behavioral health.
• Increase Pre-K students screened for social/emotional concerns.
• Develop a youth-focused webpage.
Chronic Disease
• Increase disease prevention through health education.
• Increase referrals to Tobacco Free Florida.
• Reduce ER visits from hypertension and high-risk pre-term births. 
• Distribute blood pressure monitors to high-risk clients.
• Increase breastfeeding among WIC clients. 
Injury Prevention and Safety
• Reduce sleep-related infant deaths.
• Decrease near-drowning instances among children.
• Decrease fall-related deaths among older adults.
• Decrease vehicle crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists.
• Reduce the number of human trafficking cases.
At the heart of it all, Kissler said, is building a system of care and 
making sure Polk residents don’t slip through the cracks. He praised 
hospitals, nonprofits, and community health centers already do-
ing important work across the county. The next step is connecting 
those efforts.
“All these different groups can work together to provide a safety 
net of care and build a system where we don’t see people in the 
emergency room hopefully as much, where they are going to their 
doctor because they have a medical home,” Kissler said. “That is the 
goal, to give people a medical home.”
He added that with Polk continuing to rapidly grow, collaboration 
will be essential to meeting the community’s healthcare needs.
“There are so many new folks coming into the community and 
there are so many services that are needed that working together is 
the only way we’re going to be able to get it done.” HN
Polk Aims to Strengthen 
Safety Net of Care
JESSICA McDONALD, EDITOR 
[email protected]
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