Agueda Hernandez, M.D., Receives Florida Academy Of Family Physicians’ Educator Award

Primary Care physician Agueda Hernandez, M.D., medical director of the Baptist Health Primary Care Family Medicine Center and director of the Family Residency program at West Kendall Baptist Hospital, has received the 2015 FAFP Exemplary Full-Time Educator Award from The Florida Academy of Family Physicians (FAFP).

This prestigious award was created to recognize outstanding family physicians for their dedication, expertise and ability to provide the highest quality instruction to physicians in all phases of their medical training and practice in a full-time capacity. This recognition is particularly important in Florida due to the shortage of Primary Care physicians and the lack of residency opportunities available to a younger generation. Dr. Hernandez’s comprehensive skills in health care have contributed to excellence in the provision of high quality care and demonstrated that family physicians can have an impact on improving the overall health of the nation.

“Dr. Hernandez continues to exemplify those leadership abilities that make our doctors unique at Baptist Health Primary Care,” said Bernie Fernandez Jr., M.D., chief executive officer of Baptist Health Medical Group. “Under her leadership, the Family Residency program has received well over 1,700 applications for just 4 resident positions. This award symbolizes her continued dedication to mentoring young physicians who will make lasting contributions at Baptist Health and in the South Florida community.”

The Florida Academy of Family Physicians (FAFP) is composed of more than 4,800 family medicine physicians, resident physicians, and medical students from across the state. The FAFP works to advance the specialty of family medicine by promoting excellence and improvement in the healthcare of all Floridians. Their priority is to help members become the best family physicians they can be through effective communication, legislation/regulation, education, advocacy, research and motivation. The FAFP also acts as the active voice for family medicine, advocating key issues among patients, the medical community, legislators and regulators, third-party payers, and the general public. The FAFP continually works to communicate, recognize and celebrate the issues of family medicine, while helping all Floridians to understand that having a family physician is vital to their health. For more information, visit www.fafp.org.

About Baptist Health South Florida

Baptist Health is the largest healthcare organization in the region, with seven hospitals (Baptist Hospital, Baptist Children’s Hospital, Doctors Hospital, Homestead Hospital, Mariners Hospital, South Miami Hospital and West Kendall Baptist Hospital) and more than 30 outpatient and urgent care facilities spanning three counties. The not-for-profit, faith-based Baptist Health has more than 15,000 employees and 2,200 affiliated physicians, and also includes Baptist Health Medical Group, Baptist Outpatient Services and internationally renowned centers of excellence. Baptist Health Foundation, the organization’s fundraising arm, supports services at all hospitals and facilities. Baptist Health was listed by Fortune magazine as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America (#19 in the nation and #1 in Florida) and has remained on the list for 14 years. It was also recognized as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for the third year in a row by the Ethisphere Institute. For more information on Baptist Health Primary Care, go to BaptistHealth.net/PrimaryCare.

CONTACT: Sahyli Hartney; PHONE: 786-596-6534