Leading Jamaican-American medical entrepreneur in South Florida

It’s a miracle the phone connects on the first try Yvette Fletcher left instructions to keep trying if I didn’t get through the first time, but her warm voice greeted me after a few rings She repeats her warning, at any time Fletcher could be called out to either of her two locations or a home visit She insists it’s no concern, she’s used to multitasking

Fletcher is the owner and primary physician at Medix Urgent Care and Family Health Center Medix has two locations – one in Hollywood, Florida, and an office in Fort Lauderdale A one-stop clinic, Medix is outfitted to provide x-rays, EKGs, vaccines, IV treatment, physicals, medication refills, CPR certification, and more

On any given day, Fletcher might be called in to do some combination of stitching a suture, drawing labs, and performing a physical

She jokes not to print her age, but with more than 40 years working in medicine and healthcare in some capacity, she claims to be winding down her career However, Fletcher is not very convincing The veteran healthcare provider travels on medical missions each year with the Hope for Humanity group The medical team goes to countries where the healthcare system is either overburdened or underdeveloped She’s been to Haiti, Panama, and back home to Jamaica with the mission

“People think it’s fun it’s not,” she deadpanned Over a week, Fletcher’s team would see over 100 patients leaping at the chance for free checkups and treatment The schedules get hectic Wake up Eat Work Eat Sleep Repeat It’s draining work, but she refuses to give it up “Until I die, or until I can’t travel any more, I intend to continue traveling on missions ”

Medicine is in her DNA

Fletcher set her sights on England to complete her education Each institution turned her down and she briefly considered applying for the Jamaica Defense Force before her mother intervened She attended the West Indies College, now called Northern Caribbean University (NCU), and spent 4 years there completing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Resident Nursing Degree

Fletcher returned home to Montego Bay and worked in the Cornwall Regional Hospital

She was immediately thrust into the rigors of the Jamaican medical system She remembers her first day, working the night shift in the postop ward, attending to over 50 patients with only one assistant nurse “The nurse didn’t talk to me the whole night,” she laughed “Not even good afternoon, good morning, nothing ”

She spent a year at Cornwall Regional and did a stint at the National Chest Hospital before completing her Midwifery certificate in 1987

“In Jamaica, at the time back then, by now you figure I’m a little up in the age there Back then if you didn’t have a midwifery certificate on top of your RN (registered nurse) certificate, you’d never be promoted,” she explained

After her certification she worked all over, bouncing around from clinic to clinic “I worked at the STD clinic on Slipe Road worked in some real rough towns I had some experiences there with gunmen, ” she laughed Fletcher finally settled in at the University of the West Indies Hospital in Kingston At this point, she had married and had her first child But, something always pulled her home, and the University was on the opposite end of the island She packed up her child and left her husband behind The commute was hellish “During the process of traveling back and forth, I realized this kind of life is not the life I want,” she explained. “Trying to get into a Mobay bus with a baby, you have no idea. Back in the day you didn’t have the amount of buses you have now, you had to fight!” For the first time since high school, Fletcher started to look at opportunities abroad, this time in the United States

It would be her first time leaving the country She stayed with a friend of her hairdresser, but knew she needed a more permanent solution She returned undocumented and had to redo her certificates Fletcher enrolled at the University of Miami and completed her recertification in 1997, graduating with a Nurse Practitioner (NP) degree and a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) She started working in nursing homes and then worked at Broward Health (then called Broward General) “It was very stressful for me, I was working full time, going to school full time,” she admitted She lived in Lauderdale Lakes and the University of Miami was an hour’s drive away Making that trip 2–3 times a week at night took its toll

Fletcher completed her education at the University of Science, Arts, and Technology in Montserrat where she earned Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS), a Doctor of Medicine (DM) degree, and a Doctor of International Medicine degree (DIM) She took a position in the US Virgin Islands, managing their labor delivery unit An idea began to germinate If she could run a unit and open clinics for her employers, she could strike out on her own “I always considered myself a maverick, I was never one to sit under administration,” she elaborated Fletcher lost her job 10 months later “People say there’s always good out of a bad thing, well that was the best thing they ever did for me I went out on my own, opened my first clinic [in 2009],” she explained

Slowing down? Not likely

“Do you know anyone on the Jamaican medical board?” Fletcher asks in half-jest Despite proclamations of slowing down, she’s still feeling the pull of home again and wants to open a clinic. She’s also opening a third facility in Wilton Manors, Florida “If you talk to my clients, they will tell you I have a heart and I know I have a heart,” she explained She thrives in the bustle of a clinic

Before she hangs up I ask Yvette Fletcher how unusual it is to have an hour without any interference She smiles, ”I’m actually taking care of my 87-year-old mother who has Alzheimer’s Her caregiver is out So if I have to go, she’s going with me!”