MEET THE RODRIGUEZ FAMILY
Can you introduce your family and share a bit about them?
Hi, we are the Rodriguez family! Jamie is a mama to three, wife, lover of bungee fitness, terrible cake-baker, and speech language pathologist. Gerson is the dad of those three, world's greatest husband, boating-enthusiast, and board certified Internal Medicine Doctor. Our kids are Mateo (12), Lola (9), and Rosalía (3).
How long have you lived in the neighborhood? Where are you and your family originally from, and what brought you here?
We built our first home in Rivertown in 2018. When our family continued to grow and we needed more space, we bought another home here in Rivertown. We love this community and are so blessed to be a part of it! Gerson was born and raised in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Jamie was born and raised in Douglas, Georgia. Our careers both brought us to the greater Jacksonville area where we actually met working in the hospital.
What college / university did you attend? What subject(s) did you major in, and what degree(s) did you obtain?
Gerson attended the University of Puerto Rico where he graduated medical school. He then completed his residency at St. Vincent's in New York for Internal Medicine. He is now back in school to obtain his certification in Lifestyle Medicine. Jamie attended Valdosta State University (Go Blazers!) and obtained a masters degree in Speech Language Pathology and a minor in Musical Performance.
What's your profession(s), and where do you work? Do you own a local business?
Gerson has been a hospitalist in the local community for over 14 years. But the current trend in healthcare is not going in a direction that supports how we want to deliver care. Thus, taking a leap of faith and trusting in His plan R & R Collective Health was created. Our office offers modern primary care through a membership based model. With busy families and small business owners in mind, we created a new medical home - that actually feels like one. No surprise bills, co-pays, or rushed appointments. This personalized primary care concept, called Direct Primary Care, allows us to keep our hearts and our resources where we think they should be: invested in our local community.
Tell us about your kids!
When our kiddos are not helping us out in the office, you can find our youngest, Rosalía, next door at the Kinder Kafe! Rosalía (Ro Ro) is starting her educational journey at Ivybrook Academy this fall. Lola is an active cheerleader for the BTAA Bartram Bears, and Mateo is a part of Troop 225 Boy Scouts.
What are your favorite places to visit around the community?
We love to support small! Some of our local favorites within 20 minutes of RT are Pour Mike's coffee, Simone's, and Southern Vibes. We also are ticket holders for the Alhambra and FSCJ Broadway series.
Do you participate in any philanthropic events or work with any charity organizations?
Since opening our own private practice, we have extended an outreach to the Latino community for medical care. The greater Jacksonville area has more than 150k Latinos, some of which do not speak english. We are proud to be able to offer bilingual medical services as well as be able to help the underserved with their medical care. We also were proud sponsors for the BTAA Bartram Bears sports physicals this year. Jamie is a cheer coach for the BTAA Bartram Bears as well. "I am so thankful to be a part of these young girls' lives while also getting to make some core memories with my daughter, Lola."
Describe your favorite family memory in the neighborhood so far. What's your favorite part of living in the neighborhood?
We can't think of a favorite part! From all of the delicious goodies by our own RT bakers that save Jamie from having to bake herself to the never ending generosity found in our neighbors this is an amazing community. We are beyond blessed to get to call Rivertown home.