For pediatrician Dr. Jean Monice, the people he treats are more than just patients—and treating them is more than just a job. “Everybody has my cell phone number because they have to have someone they can call anytime,” he says. “I am their doctor. I am there for them. I am a family member.”
For more than 40 years, Monice has helped children in underserved communities, right here in Palm Beach County and in his home country of Haiti. “I love kids,” he adds. “It’s as simple as that. I love kids and I love working with them. Making them feel better is a very nice feeling.”
After graduating from medical school in Haiti, Monice completed his residency in New York and made his way to South Florida to start his own practice. “It turned into 28 years as a private practice with over 6,000 patients,” he says. “But…it’s become harder and harder for a solo doctor to survive.”
So Monice pivoted. In 2019, he joined the team at FoundCare, a nonprofit, federally qualified health center. He brought with him decades of experience, and he was delighted that his new role mirrored his personal mission to provide everyone with access to quality health care. He now serves as the group’s pediatric medical director. “They have the same vision that I had [in my] private practice,” Monice says of FoundCare.
In addition to his work locally, Monice gives back to people in need in his native Haiti, traveling to his hometown several times a year to offer vaccines and health screenings. “We have a team that goes into different parts of the town or the countryside to host a health fair and examine people living there,” he says. “Everybody that you see, you make a difference in their life. That’s what it’s all about.”
With a smile on his face and a stethoscope around his neck, Monice believes that helping others is the greatest gift of his life. And, he says, he’ll continue to go wherever he’s needed, for as long as he’s able. “No matter what day of the week it is, I will be there serving the population. Letting them know we’re here for them is the main goal.”
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