Dr. Jean Monice, Pediatric Medical Director

Dr. Jean Monice, Pediatric Medical Director at FoundCare, received a Hometown Hero recognition from CBS12 News. A special thank you to reporter Samantha Kerrigan.

Video and article courtesy of CBS12. View the original article here.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla — For pediatrician Dr. Jean Monice, the families he serves both locally and internationally 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 explained. “I am their doctor, I am there for them, I am a family member.”

For more than 40 years, Dr. Monice has been helping children in underserved communities in Palm Beach County and his home country of Haiti.

“I love kids,” Dr. Monice said. “It’s as simple as that. I love kids and I love working with them and making them feel better is a very nice feeling.”

After graduating from medical school in Haiti, Dr. Monice completed his residency at Bronx Lebanon Hospital in New York and made his way to south Florida where he would eventually start his own practice.

“It turned into 28 years as a private practice with over 6,000 patients, but with healthcare it’s become harder and harder for a solo doctor to survive in this environment.”

Dr. Jean Monice has been a pediatrician for more than 40 years, helping children in underserved communities in Palm Beach County and his home country of Haiti. He currently serves as the pediatric medical director at FoundCare. (WPEC)

So Dr. 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 as a private practice because at my office I had generations of families together and the fact that I’m Haitian originally, I speak French, Creole, and Spanish, and that’s a big plus with the community that we’re serving,” Dr. Monice said.

He also continues to give back to those in need in Haiti, traveling to his hometown a couple times a year to offer free vaccines and health screenings to hundreds of children.

“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,” Dr. Monice explained. “Everybody that you see you make a difference in their life and that’s what it’s all about.”

With a smile on his face and a stethoscope around his neck, Dr. Monice will tell you, helping others near and far has been the greatest gift of his life and he will 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 because serving the population and letting them know we’re here for them is the main goal.”