Miami Celebrates ChenMed Founder for Primary Care Innovation and Community Service to Help End Coronavirus Pandemic

CITY COMMISSIONER ALEX DIAZ DE LA PORTILLA

TO HONOR DR. JENLING JAMES CHEN

MIAMI CELEBRATES CHENMED FOUNDER FOR PRIMARY CARE INNOVATION and COMMUNITY SERVICE TO HELP END CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

In one month, ChenMed has vaccinated 16,000 at-risk Florida residents with COVID-19 vaccines provided by Florida Department of Health

MIAMI, FL - (March 25, 2021) Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla will honor Dr. Jenling “James” Chen for his service in the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic by presenting him with a proclamation during the meeting of the Miami City Commission on Thursday, March 25, 2021. 

“I am grateful to Dr. Chen and his team for serving as valued partners in our response to the Coronavirus pandemic by already vaccinating more than 13,000 South Florida seniors and most vulnerable residents,” said Commissioner Diaz de la Portilla. “Through their medical centers, Dr. Chen and his team are carrying out their mission of delivering high quality patient centered holistic care to our community.” 

“Many years ago, I started my medical practice in an underserved Miami neighborhood,” said Jenling “James” Chen, M.D., Ph.D., ChenMed Founder. “My wife, Mary, and I were called by God to help serve patients who were ignored by other doctors and the healthcare system.”

Dr. Chen, added: “I am happy to report our physician sons and their spouses joined us in our mission to transform care of the neediest populations. Together, and with the support of thousands of like-minded employees, ChenMed now successfully operates 75 centers in 10 states. Our goal is to become America’s leading primary care provider.”

Dr. Chen opened his first Miami practice 35 years ago. Since then, he and his family have been trying to turn around the healthcare system to make it more focused, convenient, and effective for the people who need it most. Today, ChenMed operates more than 30 Chen and Dedicated Senior Medical Centers in Florida, along with more than 45 centers in Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia.

Privately owned and physician-led, Chen Senior Medical Centers throughout South Florida remain actively involved in community efforts year-round, including fighting the coronavirus pandemic and the inequities of the healthcare system that the virus has highlighted. Last week, for example, ChenMed announced its goal to safely vaccinate more than 50,000 at-risk seniors by Mother’s Day.

With this proclamation, Commissioner Diaz de la Portilla wishes to acknowledge Dr. Chen’s devotion and outstanding work towards the residents of our city.

About ChenMed

For seniors most in need of care, high-quality health care often is beyond reach. ChenMed brings concierge-style medicine — and better health outcomes — to the neediest populations. ChenMed is a privately owned medical, management and technology company. A provider of choice for some 20 Medicare Advantage health insurance plans, ChenMed is one of Fortune Magazine’s 2020 “Change the World” companies “taking on society’s unsolved problems - and boosting their business as a result.” ChenMed brands include Chen Senior Medical Center, Dedicated Senior Medical Center, and JenCare Senior Medical Center.

The proven ChenMed approach to primary care recently earned some extra attention during the coronavirus pandemic. A recent University of Miami study of 400 ChenMed patients in eight states shows how high-touch primary care can reduce coronavirus deaths among seniors by 40 percent.