Kenneth Palestrant, M.D. FAAFP

Kenneth Palestrant joined the St. Lucie County Fire District as an Associate Medical Director on April 15, 2020. He was then appointed to Interim Medical Director on July 15, 2020.

Dr. Palestrant started his career in the emergency room as an orderly on the night shift at Hialeah Hospital. He then became a paramedic for Broward County EMS and later received his nursing degree from the University of the State of New York. He attended medical school at the Universidad Tecnologica de Santiago, in the Dominican Republic. 

Upon his return to the U.S, Dr. Palestrant did a transitional internship in St Louis Missouri and three more years at the University of Florida/Shands Jacksonville Hospital. While at Shands, he trained in family medicine and served as Chief Resident. He returned to South Florida, and spent 3 years in the emergency department at Palm Beach Regional Hospital, where he became the director of the department. 

Dr Palestrant moved to St Lucie County in 1993 and worked the next 10 years in the emergency department at St. Lucie Medical Center, 8 of which he served as the Medical Director. It was here that he forged a long-standing relationship with the hardworking firefighters and paramedics of St Lucie County.

In 2003, Dr Palestrant founded the first “Physicians Immediate Care” urgent care clinic, which over the next 15 years expanded to 5 urgent care clinics covering St Lucie and northern Martin County. Physicians Immediate Care quickly became the premier urgent care network in the region employing over 100 dedicated employees with almost 60,000 patient visits annually.

Dr. Palestrant is only the second Medical Director in the fire district's history.