Welcome
Hello, and welcome to the Orlando City Lab. In this portfolio, we will be analyzing the health of Orlando, Florida as a whole. We will be showcasing various interviews, photos, studies, and more regarding the health care system, health outcomes, healthcare disparities, and more. This will be an evolving ecosystem of data, outcomes, writings all while using Orlando as a case study.
About Me
My name is Jake Schweizer, and I am an MBA student at Carey Business School. I am a healthcare professional currently serving as a Strategy and Business Development Manager at AdventHealth in Orlando, Florida. I was born and raised here in Orlando and have recently moved back after a brief stint in Jacksonville. I look forward to getting involved and learning from, and about my community.
I chose to study Orlando, Florida not only because it is close to home, but also, because I believe it is a microcosm of The United States. I feel that there is much to be learned from Orlando in regard to its health disparities, income inequality, food insecurity, and more.
About My Community
Above you can find a photo of Lake Eola, a lake which downtown Orlando is centered around. The lake is man-made, but has since become a hub of the downtown Orlando Community. Lake Eola has become a gathering place for community events, farmers markets, outdoor activities, and more. Orlando is a water-forward community built around lakes, rivers, and within 1-2 hours of beaches on either side of the Florida Peninsula. From the St. Johns River, to various swampland, to man-made retention ponds, Orlando was founded on water. Disney World itself is built on swamp/wetlands! Water is important to our every day life here, from fresh seafood and freshwater fish, to healthy lifestyle activities like surfing, skiing, and swimming, water plays a role in almost every resident of Orlando’s daily life.
Water is also important to me personally! Not only did I grow up swimming in lakes and surfing in the ocean, I grew up fishing for food and learning about the ecosystem thanks to my Central Florida upbringing. Even though Florida is known for their alligators, I haven’t stopped swimming! Fun Fact: I went to High School about 100 yards away from Lake Jesup, known to have the highest alligator population per/square foot of any lake in the United States.
Above you will find a map of Orlando, I used one that showcases some key landmarks, for reference. I chose to explore Orlando as not only is this my home once again, but also because I was born and raised here. Being raised here and now returning has given me a new perspective on the city, and what challenges it faces. Orlando is a fast growing city, over 1,000 people move here per week, but it is not immune to challenges faced by many other cities. From food insecurity, health disparities between neighboring communities, and a lack of focus on the social determinants of health, I found this to be as good of a place as any to study and begin offering solutions. Orlando has an urban core with a significant homeless population and underserved communities, and that is flanked by the Theme park district to the south, and affluent neighborhoods such as Winter Park, Maitland, and Lake Mary to the North.
Directly in the urban core of Orlando stand two of the largest hospitals (1,300+ beds) and their accompanying health systems in the country. Both AdventHealth and Orlando Health have quaternary hubs in downtown Orlando, and while often fighting for market share, underserved communities are still lacking in adequate care. There are so many reasons for lack of care from accessibility, cost, education, and more. I want to look at the “why” behind the disparities that these neighboring communities face, and how we can begin to solve them for a healthier future.
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