Published: February 23, 2026
Bartow, Fla. (Feb. 23, 2026) – The Citizens Healthcare Oversight Committee (COC) met for its annual retreat on Friday, Feb. 20. The COC monitors the spending of the indigent healthcare sales surtax fund, which funds local healthcare access programs such as the Polk HealthCare Plan.
“Being a local program with local administration, we are able to pivot as necessary when trying to meet the community’s needs,” said Joy Johnson, Health and Human Services Administrator for Polk County. “We’ve accomplished a lot of great things in our community, but there is still a lot of work to do. This annual retreat is our time to discuss plans for the future with the committee.”
During the retreat, committee members discussed with county staff the state of health care coverage for residents in Polk County, Florida, as well as opportunities for expanding access to healthcare for residents through strategic programs and funding.
The COC meets quarterly. A calendar of meetings can be found here. Meetings are open to the public and are livestreamed by PGTV.