15 minute read
INTERVIEWS
BEATRICE CAZEAU, ESQ.
SERVANT OF THE COMMUNITY
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Written by Shelly-Ann M. Parkinson
About a year after completing her undergraduate studies at John Jay College and applying for a position with the Department of Fraud Investigations, Beatrice Cazeau felt a slight nudge on her feet in the wee hours one morning. It was her mother. “Beatrice, what’s the plan?” She was referring to law school. The mother told her daughter that now was the time to apply. While Beatrice believes her first conscious recollection of wanting to become a lawyer occurred in a class called “Everyday Law” at Sarah J. Hale High School in Brooklyn, New York, she shared with Haiti Open that her mother told her she’d expressed those inclinations much earlier in life. Having majored in criminal justice and taken minors in criminology administration and planning and sociology, Beatrice could have chosen several different career paths. But her mother kept her focused on her destiny.
By the time Beatrice began law school at the New England School of Law, her mother had already reached out to her network of friends and relatives in the Boston area to foster her, especially through those harsh New England winters. She needed that network, as her strength, fortitude, and faith were
quickly tested in her first year in law school after her mother suffered a stroke. Beatrice had to travel between Boston and New York regularly during this time to see her mother, and most of her studying took place on the bus. Her mother continued to push her to stay focused, and Beatrice became even more determined to succeed. During this difficult time, she managed to make the Dean’s list and received numerous academic awards.
Besides her mother’s constant encouragement, Beatrice was also motivated to study and practice law because of the lack of representation of Haitian Americans in the legal field as she was growing up. Born in Petionville, Haiti, Beatrice arrived in the United States on her 12th birthday. Her family lived in Asbury Park, New Jersey before moving to Crown Heights, Brooklyn. In her mostly immigrant community, when her family and neighbors needed legal help, lawyers just did not look like them and certainly did not speak Kreyol. Beatrice was on a mission to change that.
“I always wanted to be a prosecutor,” said Beatrice. “So I did my internships at the Office of the Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.” After law school, she applied to several state attorneys’ offices, the Bronx District Attorney’s Office, and the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office. She accepted a position as a prosecutor with the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office in 1999, remained there for three years, then formed a private practice with a partner. That practice was dissolved in May 2018, and Beatrice has been operating The Law Offices of Cazeau & Associates, her solo private practice, since then. Cazeau & Associates handles cases in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties. Beatrice’s 20 years of legal experience allows her to cover areas such as family law, divorce, child support, domestic violence, injunction, car accidents, and real estate. In addition to her practice, Beatrice also serves as Special Magistrate for the City of North Miami and presides over code compliance hearings. She’s also the legal counsel for the Nuisance Abatement Board and the Unsafe Structures Board for the City of Miami Gardens and a member of the Broward County Fair Campaign Practices Board. She is also a member of the Miami-Biscayne Bay Links Incorporated chapter, a not-for-profit community service organization she refers to as a “wonderful group of professional women.”
Beatrice Cazeau is a woman of faith and believes everything in her life has been ordained by God. “God has a path for me, and I am doing everything in His path,” she says. “God has placed people in my path and opened doors for me. When I first moved to South Florida, I knew four people. God has blessed me in so many ways.” Beatrice believes that because of the opportunities she’s been given, she has a responsibility to give back. She does so abundantly, without hesitation.
For many years, Beatrice was a familiar face on Island TV as the host of “Info Legal” and “Koze Legal,” as a
“Quitting was never an option,” recalls Beatrice.
representative of the Haitian Lawyers Association. She spoke about legal issues concerning the South Florida Haitian community. Currently, she hosts a weekly series calls “Koze Legal AvekMaitre Beatrice Cazeau” on social media (Facebook Live), which seeks to enlighten, empower, and educate the Haitian-American community on pertinent legal topics and current events.
“I call myself a servant of the community,” says Beatrice. “I love to give back and want others to see that if I can make it, they can too.” Her sense of identity is strong, as being Haitian is her foundation and the core of who she is. She knows she made her parents proud before they passed away, and their prayers – and prayers of men and women in the community who she doesn’t even know – continue to sustain her. That’s what keeps her going: knowing that she has a solid client base in the Haitian community. As a result, she works tirelessly on their behalf. She also encourages the next generation by being there to answer questions, visit schools, and offer internships to high school students who would like an opportunity to shadow her and learn what it takes to be an attorney.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Cazeau Law Firm 1909 NE 168th Street, North Miami Beach, FL 33162 (305) 614-0702 Info@cazeaulawfirm.com www.cazeaulawfirm.com @cazeaulawfirm
PUTTING PATIENTS FIRST
Prima Health Center is Here for You!
By Alex Popa
Prima Health Center is a top-quality healthcare center located in South Florida that always follows the latest medical guidelines when treating its patients. Dr. Rose-May Seide, a Family Medicine specialist and Diplomate of the American Board of Family Medicine, heads the clinic, and her 20+ years of experience as a family physician are indicative of her expertise and professionalism!
Prima Health Center
ABOUT PRIMA HEALTH CENTER
Prima Health Center was founded on the belief that helping others is a foremost quality in humans. Dr. Seide channeled all her experience as a family physician and medical director of a health center to build Prima Health Center. As the medical needs of the community grew, so did Prima’s efficiency and medical skills.
Prima Health Center aspires to become the primary destination for patient care in the area. It strives for excellence through dedication, care, compassion, and competence. Dr. Seide has been board-certified three times, which only goes to prove Prima Health Center’s superior medical quality.
For Dr. Rose-May Seide, M.D., all about putting patients first
DR. SEIDE’S BACKGROUND
Dr. Seide graduated from the Université d'Etatd' HaitiFaculté De Médecine et de Pharmacie in 1992. She continued to work as a clinician in Haiti and then emigrated to South Florida and proceeded to finish her residency training in Family Medicine at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital. During her residency, Dr. Seide received the Women’s Health Award and the Resident Teacher Award. She practiced as a family physician for 20 years and took on the Medical Director position at a health center in Miami for 13 years. During this time, she had physician
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assistants, nurse practitioners, and staff under her watch. Naturally, this helped her develop administrative skills and further honed her medical aptitude.
It all culminated in the creation of Prima Health Center. She brought together a group of competent individuals who all sought the same thing – to make Prima Health Center the most effective, convenient, and professional medical center it could be!
LIST OF SERVICES
Prima Health Center offers a variety of medical services, including but not limited to: • Primary Care • Lab Tests • EKG Testing • Telemedicine • Family Medicine • Immigration and DOT Physicals • Women’s Health: Pap Smears, GYN
WHY PRIMA
Prima Health Center offers personalized family medicine for men, women, adolescents, and the elderly. With their state-of-the-art facilities, short waiting, times, and costeffective medical services, they’re in the best position to serve anyone in South Florida. Proud of her Haitian roots, Dr. Seide cares for a large Haitian population but also takes pride in providing health care to the entire multi-cultural community of South Florida. She speaks fluent English, Spanish, Haitian Kreyol, and French.
Dr. Seide loves making a difference in her patients' lives and serving a multi-generational population.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Prima Health Center 125 NE 167th Street, North Miami Beach, FL 33162,
305-217-7462
primahealthcenter.com @primahealthcenter
MEET DR. PATRICK ROMEUS
The Internal Medicine Physician at the Helm of Preferred Family Care, a 100% Haitian-Staffed Gift to the Community
Giving back has been a consistent theme in Dr. Patrick Romeus’ life. He was raised by his grandmother, and his humble beginnings in the little town of CampPerrin in the South of Haiti are never far from his thoughts, as they form the foundation of everything he’s built. He didn’t take for granted the opportunity he was given to attend Saint-Louis de Gonzague, arguably one of the most prestigious high schools on the island. This placed him in the highly competitive process of applying and ultimately being accepted to the only medical school in Haiti at the time, the State Faculty School of Pharmacy and Medicine. Dr. Romeus became the first and only doctor in his family and fulfilled his childhood dream. Medicine was always his first love. “I was given the opportunity to go to medical school almost for free,” shared Dr. Romeus. “Due to everything my country invested in me, I must always give back. That’s how I repay my debt – by constantly working in my community both here and back home.”
Upon his graduation from medical school, Dr. Romeus was required to commit one year to social services in Haiti. He did so by returning to his hometown of CampPerrin. He worked for many different government and private institutions and eventually opened a clinic there, as he saw a real need for his services. “That’s when I really started to work as a doctor and make an impact on people’s lives,” says Dr. Romeus. “They say you are never welcomed in your own town, but that was never the case for me. It was one of the best times in my life. I still go back whenever I get the chance and I plan to retire there. That is my dream.”
In the early 2000s, Dr. Romeus made a family decision to move to the United States. Here in Miami, he continued his journey as a physician by meeting all the U.S. requirements, including a three-year residency (in internal medicine) in Puerto Rico. Fluent in Kreyol, French, English, and Spanish, Dr. Romeus returned to Mimi knowing that he would thrive in this multicultural
city, but most importantly, be of service to his Haitian community.
After being a part of a medical group for two years, Dr. Romeus made a business decision to go into private practice. “I believe that a part of the definition of a doctor is to be your own boss,” he explains. This was also an opportunity to serve and impact the Haitian community in a more meaningful way. From 2012 to 2015, he, along with a partner, operated Baypoint Medical Center. For the past five years, Preferred Family Care has been delivering personalized service in North Miami Beach.
He wants everyone to feel at home and establish a bond with their healthcare providers, as they are there to address their medical needs and more. Patients can expect to receive most services ¬– such as onsite complete physical and bloodwork – under one roof. Most specialists are also in the same building. Massage therapy and weight loss management are offered onsite, as is an Access Center, where assistance is given for filling out social service and government paperwork at no additional charge.
“The way the system is designed, everything runs through the primary care physician,” explains Dr. Romeus. Thus, as an internal medicine physician delivering primary care, doctors like him are vital to the community. Along with two nurse practitioners, Dr. Romeus is committed to treating every patient equally and respectfully and ensuring everyone can make informed decisions about their health.
When he’s not seeing patients,Dr Romeus continues to educate his community through his program “priorite sante,”which airs weekly on different local radio stations and Ayiti TV.Last but not least, Dr. Romeus has served on the executive boards of several non-for-profit organizations. He is a philanthropist and the founder of Positive Impact Alliance, a platform whose primary mission is to assist in vocational schools in rural Haiti to help rebuild a skilled workforce.
Dr. Romeus sees his clinic as a gift to the community. The facility is 100% Haitian-staffed.
CONTACT INFORMATION: Preferred Family Care, Medicare, Senior Care
16853 NE 2nd Avenue, Suite 101 North Miami Beach, FL 33162
305.548.8530
www. pfcareinc.com
Dr. Jim Francois Explains Why His Podiatry Practice Sees Every Patient as a Whole Person
Medicine was always a part of the plan for Dr. Jim Francois. He was born in Cap-Haitien, Haiti, and was set to begin medical school there, where he planned to become an OBGYN just before migrating to the United States in 1991. Unable to afford medical school in the United States, a young Jim Francois devised a very specific plan to go to Florida A & M University for his undergraduate studies where he studied physical therapy and he would practice for just five years to earn enough money for medical school.
However, nearing the end of his five years, he realized that with a pregnant wife, he needed to consider a medical school in South Florida. “Working as a physical therapist, I was dealing with patients with knee injuries and stroke issues, so my mindset changed. I was now thinking of going into orthopedics or becoming a neurologist,” reflected Dr. Francois.At this time, he was working at Hialeah Hospital and a chance conversation with some podiatry students on rotation, introduced him to podiatry. He then applied to the podiatry program at Barry University and was accepted two weeks prior to the beginning of the semester.
He excelled in the program. “Even as a student, I enjoyed teaching my classmates,” expressed Dr. Francois. That passion for podiatry and medicine continued into his career. After graduation, he continued as an adjunct professor at Barry University, teaching physical medicine from 2005 to 2018. He also became an attending physician at North Shore and Jackson Hospitals from 2008 where he also teaches resident physicians. Dr. Francois is past Chair of Podiatry at North Shore Hospital and the former Vice-Chair of Podiatry at Jackson Hospital.
Straight out of residency, Dr. Francois opened his private practice which does everything in podiatry. As a foot and ankle surgeon, Dr. Francois can perform simple to the most intricate and complex surgeries from below the knee down. He sees a mix of patients, from those requiring diabetic footcare, wound care, sports injuries, flat feet, fungus, bunions, heel pain, athletes-foot, plantar fasciitis, and pediatrics including newborns. His North Miami Beach
office is equipped with a surgical/wound care room for basic surgical procedures. Even though he no longer practices physical therapy, the knowledge he has comes in handy with educating his patients and with his own multidimensional approach to care. Dr. Francois has a second practice in Port Charlotte, Charlotte County Foot and Ankle Clinics which include services to assisted and independent living facility residents. Most insurances are accepted as well as cash on a sliding scale. Wherever he sees his patients, Dr. Francois always wants them to feel like they are respected and cared for. He knows that even though he sees patients of all nationalities and speaks several languages, Haitian patients always feel at home because they can express themselves freely in Kreyol.“This is a caring place,” said Dr. Francois, “We treat our patients like they are family. It is the way it is. That’s how Haitians are. We treat people with respect. They can come and talk about other issues besides podiatry care. We see the whole person, not just the foot. Afterall, the foot is attached According to Dr. Francois, “Many times people only to the body.” Dr. Francois explained that this come to the doctor when something is wrong. It is important for them, especially diabetics, to know that can be very serious especially for people who do not have a primary care physician or those with a primary care physician who may not they can see the doctor before something goes wrong speak their language and things get lost in as they can lose a toe, a foot, or a leg for the simplest nuances and translation. issue that could have been avoided sooner.” Dr. Francois shared that sometimes the podiatrist is the first doctor to realize that there might be a serious medical condition and that the patient may not have seen their primary care physician in a while. “If you educate people about their health, they will do better,” he said, “Even if you have been living with an issue all your life, doesn’t mean it has to remain that way.” With two busy practices on opposite coasts of Florida, it can be difficult to find balance with everything else in one’s life. But Dr. Francois can count on family to remind him of what is truly important. He still finds time to give back to communities in need as he has been participating in missions to Haiti and to Jamaica since 2002 for different organizations including the Haitian American Nurses Association (HANA) as well as local community events. Dr. Francois is also always willing to help medical students or residents as a mentor or in any way he can. His best advice for anyone wanting to follow in his career path is to, “Do it for the right reason. Try to learn as much as you can. If you don’t, you won’t evolve, and become the best you can be. Enjoy what you can do; otherwise, you will be miserable, create a toxic working environment, and your patient won’t be happy.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Jim Francois, DPM, PT, PA 150 NW 168th Street, Suite 303, North Miami Beach, FL 33169-6037
786-657-2757
www.jimfrancoisdpm.com
