Meet Our Healthy Start Team

Jessica Lariz

Healthy Start, Program Manager

Jessica began her career with the Florida Department of Health in Monroe County in 2002. 

After earning her bachelors degree in health education from the University of Florida in 1999, she entered the field of public health. To increase her ability to assist those within Monroe County's community, she obtained a certificate in lactation counseling.

Jessica currently serves as the senior human service program manager where she supervises the Healthy Start Program, providing education, referrals, and home visits for pregnant women, babies, and families throughout the Florida Keys.

In her free time, Jessica enjoys being on the water and spending time with her two children, family, and friends.

Karen Caridad

Healthy Start Family Support Worker

Karen Caridad serves as a family support worker for Healthy Start. She has been with the DOH-Monroe since 2018 and has been working in the Maternal Child Health and Healthy Start programs since 2020, which has provided her with the opportunity to work and help many clients in need.

She is passionate about assisting clients and providing them with information that will be useful and beneficial to them.

Karen is from Mexico and she loves assisting Spanish speaking clients. She has recently attained her certified lactation counselor certificate.

Marie Annulysse

Healthy Start Family Support Worker

Marie was born in Haiti and raised in the Florida Keys.

She has been at DOH-Monroe working with the Healthy Start program since 2017. She considers herself blessed to have the opportunity to work with and help many pregnant women, and women with babies who are in need. 

Marie is passionate about educating and assisting all of her clients, but specifically enjoys the advocating that she is able to do for the Haitian community.

During her free time, Marie enjoy spending time at the gym, nature walks, water activities and spending time with her children and her family.

Maria Ximena Rojas

Healthy Start Health Educator

Maria Rojas works as a health educator in the Healthy Start program. She enjoys working and advocating for the most vulnerable women, children, and their families.

Prior to coming to work with the Florida Department of Health in Monroe County, she worked as a child protective investigator in  and then worked for the Child Protection Team of the Treasure Coast, completing forensic and specialized interviews and providing expert court testimony in criminal cases of child abuse and neglect.

Maria was born and raised in Bogota, Colombia, has a bachelors degree in psychology and a masters degree in urban and regional planning.

Maria came to the US in 2000, lives with her husband and their two four legged children Paddington and Molly.

Alicia Newsom

Healthy Start Family Support Worker

Alicia works for Healthy Start as a coordinated intake and referral case worker.

Alicia has been with DOH-Monroe for over 16 years and has loved the home visitation and parenting aspect of the Healthy Start program.

She especially enjoys educating parents on their baby’s developmental milestones and loves it when the children still remember her when they see her out in the community. 

In her spare time Alicia loves spending time in her flower and vegetable gardens.