Lo Berry’s work honors the legacy of Lawton and Rhea Chiles | Column - Tampa Bay Times

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Lawton Chiles, Florida’s 41st governor, and his wife, Rhea, are best remembered and revered for their life-long efforts to improve the lives of children in Florida and across all geographic borders.

Charles S. Mahan [ Provided ]

As grandparents of a low-birthweight grandson, Lawton IV, Lawton and Rhea Chiles learned firsthand the challenges faced by families, medical professionals and policy-makers concerning the costs of intensive care units and even the relatively modest investments needed for proper prenatal care and maternal health access. Their success in establishing Florida’s Healthy Start program as a top priority some 30 years ago has paid bountiful dividends in saving lives and dollars.

Delores “Dee” Jeffers [ Provided ]

Each year the statewide Children’s Week Committee honors one individual who demonstrates that same fierce devotion to the children of Florida. Tampa Bay’s own Estrellita “Lo” Berry will receive the prestigious Chiles Advocacy Award for her leadership and accomplishments in maternal and child health policy and program development.

We know Lawton and Rhea Chiles would wholeheartedly approve because Lo’s work exemplifies their unwavering belief in the importance of engaging and deploying people at the local level when tackling complex community health problems.

Since 1998 Lo Berry has successfully led the charge to improve the health of mothers, babies and their families in Tampa neighborhoods where infants have poorer odds of surviving their first year than in almost any other location in the state.

She and her dedicated team of nurses, social workers, doulas, mental health work professionals and home visitors have rallied community churches, civic organizations and volunteers to pool resources over the past 20-plus years in an effort that has demonstrated significant reduction of infant deaths and the vulnerability of low birth-weight babies.

Lo Berry recognizes the strengths of her community and tapped them to accomplish a shared vision -- a healthier community. Many members of her team live, work or are representative of the community they serve.

Her work as president and CEO of REACHUP Inc. is exemplary. Her outreach to the faith sector arranges meeting space for community councils and utilizes church buses and vans for client transportation for health care visits. She also implements a strong community leadership development component that entails mentoring clients to assume leadership roles with a focus on advocacy. Lo Berry has made it a priority to include fathers and grandfathers, uncles and brothers in the services REACHUP provides to assure a “whole family” approach to health care.

Lo Berry’s charismatic spirit has inspired other community leaders across the state to believe and trust in the people closest to the problems that impact their lives and to find the most effective solutions. She carries the torch of the Chiles’ legacy with elegant grace, heartfelt generosity and the grit of an ardent advocate.

Charles S. Mahan was dean of the College of Public Health at the University of South Florida. Delores “Dee” Jeffers is director emeritus of the Lawton and Rhea Chiles Center at USF.

The Link Lonk


April 02, 2021 at 03:50PM
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Lo Berry’s work honors the legacy of Lawton and Rhea Chiles | Column - Tampa Bay Times

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