Name: Micaela Simon FNP-C, AAHIVS
Title: HIV Specialist and Co-Owner of Be Well Family Care
Facebook: @BeWellFamilyCareAZ
Instagram: @bewellfc
Website: www.bewellfc.com
Age: 57
Married/Single: Married to an amazing husband who is so supportive.
Kids: One daughter and two step-daughter
City you live in: Phoenix
A typical day in my life includes… 4:30 a.m. wake up call, feed the fur babies and off to the office. On weekends, I take the opportunity to sleep, eat and work out!
I was born… in Northern California raised in Southern California
My favorite thing about Arizona…The sunsets
I’m listening to… Right now, Black Pumas
My family… paved the way! I come from a very supportive family who always pushed me to strive to be the best at whatever I did, but to also be kind and never forget to pay it forward.
If I could have dinner with anyone, it would be… A nice quiet dinner with my husband!
One thing I cannot live without…Chips and Guac!
When I was younger, I wanted to be… A scientist.
I’m inspired by… The tireless efforts by our public health officers, and team at the Public Health Department working with community partners and the public to keep Arizonans healthy.
The one person who motivates me is… My business partner, Julia, and her tireless dedication to our team at Be Well, and her patients. She truly treats everyone as family.
If I could change anything in the world, it would be… Access good, quality healthy food sources. No one should ever go hungry.
The perfect day would be… A slow roll, coffee, and nice hike.
My first job was… a recreation leader for the City of Irvine. This was the best I got to organize games and sports activities for the kids who came to the recreation center after school. I got paid to play!
My favorite escape… Sitting on the beach at sunset and smelling the ocean.
My life… Crazy! Exciting! Exhausting! Wonderful…
I’m currently working on… Ending the HIV epidemic! Be Well Family Care’s new program PrEP Express makes prevention easy. Community outreach development, promoting prevention, sexual heath, and safe sex. Giving people the tools to stay safe and healthy.
Always… Reach out.
Never… Forget to contribute.
Favorite Quote… ”It is bad enough that people are dying of AIDS, but no one should die of ignorance.” —Elizabeth Taylor
Biggest Dream… That in my life time there is a cure for HIV.
My Pet Peeve(s)… Being late.
Bio-on yourself/company: Micaela Simon has been a nurse in Arizona for more than 20 years. She worked with her now business partner, Julia Kieffer, in one of the busiest ERs in the Valley. After a grueling 10+ years in the ER, both Simon and Kieffer furthered their education to become nurse practitioners. They realized they wanted to open their own practice to be able to treat patients with dignity and without stigma. In 2019, Be Well Family Care opened its doors in Tempe.
Be Well Family Care’s mission is to provide equitable, inclusive healthcare for everyone, including the LGBTQIA+ community, who have been underserved in the mainstream healthcare system for years. Be Well Family Care offers a safe space that is stigma free for everyone to obtain quality healthcare.
