Our History
With a commitment to supporting Rhode Island’s most socioeconomically challenged children, the first board meeting of the Central Falls Children’s Foundation (CFCF) was held in September of 2019 where the mission for the foundation was formed – to provide free-of-cost consultations, x-rays, dental care and more to uninsured, primarily immigrant children through Jenks Park Pediatrics, which opened in February of 2020.
While this commitment has never wavered, the world as we knew it did with the onset of the pandemic. Faced with these extreme and unforeseen challenges, we knew that we needed to do all we could to support a community that was not just that state’s most disproportionately impacted by COVID, but at times had the highest positivity rates per capita in the country – and even the world!
CFCF and Jenks Park Pediatrics have been providing culturally aligned, free-of-cost supports to all CF residents – young and old and regardless of insurance or citizenship status.
Executive Director
Dr. Beata Nelken
Dr. Beata Nelken, a graduate of the University of Connecticut Medical School and Brown University Pediatrics Residency Program, has dedicated 23 years to serving Rhode Island's urban and disadvantaged communities, focusing on Latino populations. She opened Jenks Park Pediatrics in Central Falls in 2020, Rhode Island's first free-care pediatric office with a bilingual Spanish-speaking staff. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Nelken provided crucial testing and vaccination services, significantly impacting Central Falls.
In 2019, she founded Central Falls Children’s Foundation (CFCF) to offer comprehensive medical and social services. Her leadership led to the addition of a bilingual social worker and nutritionist, the opening of a women's health clinic in 2023, and insurance enrollment for over 1,200 children. Dr. Nelken also serves as the physician of record for the Central Falls School District and is a board member of the Care Transformation Collaborative in Rhode Island.
Dr. Nelken's exceptional work has earned her numerous awards, including the City of Central Falls COVID-19 Hero Award, the Public Health Hero Award, and the Immunization Champion Award. Her efforts have been featured in major publications and she was recently recognized for opening the Jenks Park Residence, a housing facility for women and children at risk of homelessness.