Q & A
CHRIS JOHNSON,
CEO AND FOUNDER, BLUEBIRD
New pediatric practice company Bluebird Kids Health raised $31.5 million in capital earlier this year to fund its expansion in Florida. It launched last year by acquiring Palm Beach Pediatrics, a highly-thought-of practice run by Dr. Shannon Fox-Levine, a leader in Palm Beach County health care.
Bluebird CEO and founder Chris Johnson, in an email exchange edited and condensed below, commented to Florida Trend on Bluebird’s plans. Prior to Bluebird, he was CEO of in-home senior care company Landmark Health, acquired by Optum in 2021.
Florida Trend: Talk about Florida’s role in your company.
Johnson: Florida is our operational home base. All of our clinical practices are in Florida, serving approximately 20,000 children across our locations. We’re building a national pediatric care practice, and while we have a corporate office in Boston, we deliberately chose Florida as the foundation for this vision.
The majority of our team members work directly in our Florida practices, providing care to Floridians every day. Our clinical innovation happens here, our patient care model was refined here with Dr. Fox-Levine and her team, and our initial growth is focused here. As we continue to expand both within Florida and eventually to other states, the success we’ve achieved in the Sunshine State will serve as our blueprint.
FT: And your investors?
Johnson: We connected best with partners who are not only mission-aligned but who also bring deep experience in backing successful businesses in primary care, value-based care and serving underserved patient populations. Our recent $31.5-million funding round was led by F-Prime and .406 Ventures, with participation from AIF and Juxtapose. Among them, AIF maintains offices in Winter Park. What attracted these experienced health care investors was our vision to transform pediatric primary care through a value-based model that improves access and outcomes for all children, regardless of insurance type or location.
FT: How did you settle on Dr. Fox-Levine’s practice to start with?
Johnson: In 2024, Bluebird Kids Health acquired Palm Beach Pediatrics, which was led by Dr. Shannon Fox-Levine. Dr. Fox-Levine built an exceptional practice that embodies many of our core principles: integrating physical and mental health care, providing care coordination services and achieving remarkably better utilization outcomes, especially for children on Medicaid. The alignment between her work and our mission was striking and we’re fortunate to have her continue as our South Florida Medical Director, bringing her clinical leadership and commitment to innovation to the Bluebird Kids Health team.
FT: What’s next?
Johnson: Construction is already underway in Jacksonville, and we expect to open our doors there this summer. We chose Jacksonville because it has areas with significant gaps in pediatric care access, particularly for families with Medicaid. Our approach is to intentionally locate in communities that have a shortage of pediatric providers — what we call “pediatric care deserts.”
Jacksonville represents an opportunity to bring our integrated care model to a community where many children struggle to access consistent, high-quality pediatric care. The new practice will feature the same welcoming environment and comprehensive care model that has proven successful in Palm Beach County, with the goal of becoming a trusted health care partner in the Jacksonville community.
FT: You’ve also announced going into Broward.
Johnson: Our expansion into northern Broward County will be a new build rather than an acquisition of an existing practice. We’re establishing these new locations in retail settings within high-traffic shopping and retail plazas, making them convenient and accessible for families.
Broward County was a natural next step from our established Palm Beach County locations, allowing us to grow our footprint in South Florida while bringing our care model to new communities. Like our other locations, these practices will welcome all children regardless of insurance type or family income, with a focus on delivering exceptional pediatric care in a modern, welcoming environment.
FT: Why did you choose to start in Florida at all?
Johnson: Florida wasn’t just a convenient starting point — it was our deliberate choice as the ideal launchpad for our vision. The state’s dynamic health care landscape, combined with the opportunity to partner with Dr. Fox- Levine’s exceptional practice, created the perfect environment for innovation. Florida’s diverse communities allow us to demonstrate the power of our care model across different settings and the state’s leadership in health care innovation makes it an ideal home for our growing network of practices.
We found significant areas across Florida where access to high-quality pediatric care is limited, particularly for children covered by Medicaid. These “pediatric care deserts” are where our model can make a meaningful difference by establishing practices that welcome all children, regardless of insurance type.
Additionally, Florida’s diverse population and mix of urban, suburban and rural communities allow us to demonstrate that our approach works across different demographics and settings. As we refine and scale our model, these learnings will be invaluable as we grow throughout the state and eventually beyond.
FT: So there will be other markets for you in Florida?
Johnson: We see tremendous opportunity to expand our footprint across the state, from the Panhandle to the Keys. Our goal is to ensure that Florida becomes a national model for how exceptional pediatric care can be delivered to all children, regardless of income or location.
Beyond the six offices we already have or have planned to launch in Palm Beach County, Jacksonville and Broward County, we intend to continue expanding throughout Florida, establishing more locations to serve communities across the state.
FT: National expansion?
Johnson: Following our continued growth in Florida, we plan to expand to other states with similar needs for improved pediatric care access. We’re particularly focused on Texas, Georgia and the Carolinas as potential next markets.
Our long-term vision is to establish a meaningful presence in approximately 20 metro areas over the next several years, with multiple locations in each to ensure all children have access to high-quality pediatric care. We’ll continue to focus on communities with limited access to care, building density that allows for better operational excellence and coordinated care.
In each new market, we’ll maintain our commitment to integrated physical, behavioral and social care delivered through a value-based model that rewards better health outcomes rather than simply the volume of visits. As we grow, we’ll also develop regional hubs that offer extended urgent care and specialized programs, with expanded 24/7/365 remote clinical care and support services.
Our goal isn’t just to open practices — it’s to become a trusted community partner and to fundamentally improve how pediatric care is delivered to those who need it most.