Osceola County put the process in motion of expanding services to residents in a number of ways last week.
Health Services: Osceola Community Health Services has opened a new pharmacy at its Poinciana location at 109 N. Doverplum Ave., on the second floor of the OCHS Poinciana site.
Similar to the Stadium Place pharmacy at 1503 Bill Beck Blvd. in Kissimmee, the Poinciana location will have two service windows and is colocated in the same building as the Dental, Women’s Health, Adult, and Pediatric programs services.
The facility is currently open three days a week: Mondays and Fridays 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed for lunch 12:30-1 p.m.) and Wednesdays 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. The pharmacy is serving uninsured patients and will expand to service insured patients who need pharmacy services in the near future.
“We are excited to provide this important service to our community,” said Dr. Belinda Johnson-Cornett, President and CEO of Osceola Community Health Services. “The pharmacy at the Poinciana site can potentially service almost 100,000 patients in the immediate area. We want to ensure that we provide the best possible care to everyone in the community in need of our services. We aim to provide affordable medication access to help people live healthy lives.”
Osceola Community Health Services Pharmacy Director Dr. Tiffany Jordan said the newlyopened facility will mitigate the transportation barrier to access health care created by the 20mile gap between Poinciana and the Stadium Place location.
“Opening the pharmacy in Poinciana is ensuring health equity for everyone in Kissimmee,” she said. “Though there are pharmacies in the area, the OCHS pharmacy participates in the 340B program, which is a federal program that helps organizations like ours provide care to low-income communities by offering discounted outpatient drugs from manufacturers.”
New Poinciana fire station: Osceola County and its Fire Rescue & EMS officially broke ground last week on Station 83 on North Marigold Avenue in Poinciana. It is due to be completed in 2025.
EMS Rescue unit 83 is already in service, being housed at Station 85 on Cypress Parkway until construction is complete.
“Station 83 represents the newest link in our growing chain of services that extends through our community,” said Fire Chief Larry Collier. “We are grateful to the Board of County Commissioners and our County leadership for their diligence and foresight in allowing us to focus our department’s growth toward how we can most effectively serve our community.”
“We are so proud to be able to bring this new facility to our community,” said County Commissioner Brandon Arrington, whose District 3 includes Poinciana, said. “The essential lifesaving services our firefighters and paramedics provide every day is crucial to the well-being of our residents and visitors. This facility will ensure those services are present now and far into the future.”
Stations along Boggy Creek Road and off Vineland Road opened in 2023. Station 83 and 75, on Funie Steed Road on the west side of the county, are slated to come on line next year, putting 19 stations into service across the ever-growing county.
Westside Technology Park: Ground also broke last week on a unique 40-acre county development in the Four Corners area. Called, “Both a recreational space and an educational resource for the growing community,” by the county, Osceola is developing it at the intersection of Westside Boulevard and Funie Steed Road with a $2 million investment.
The “smart park” will bring together recreation with conservation and education in an area with nature provisions unique to Osceola County–a dry, sandy area within the Lake Wales Ridge.
“The County’s plan for the park includes the use of Low Impact Design (LID) practices, ensuring that development minimizes its environmental footprint while preserving the natural beauty of the land,” a county release about the park said.
The park will feature nearly one mile of nature walking trails and wetlands observation areas and educational signage to enhance visitors’ understanding of the local wildlife and plants. Where it gets unique will be amenities like solar-powered benches with charging ports and trail markers with QR codes. Future plans also include a playground and dog park.
