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RESOLUTION URGING CONGRESS TO PROVIDE FEDERAL REIMBURSEMENT TO JACKSON HEALTH SYSTEM AND OTHER CHARITY CARE HOSPITALS FOR THE HEALTH CARE TREATMENT NEEDS OF ANTICIPATED HAITIAN MIGRANTS FOLLOWING THE JANUARY 12 EARTHQUAKE

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WHEREAS, on January 12, 2010 a devastating earthquake hit the Republic of Haiti approximately 10 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince; and
WHEREAS, more than three million people -- a third of Haiti�s population -- have been affected by the earthquake, including hundreds of thousands of deaths and injuries; and
WHEREAS, the earthquake is the latest in a series of events that have hit Haiti in recent years, including four deadly storms that struck Haiti in 2008; and
WHEREAS, even before the earthquake, Haiti was one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere; and
WHEREAS, in the U.S., no county has a larger Haitian-American community than Miami-Dade County, with Kings County (Brooklyn), New York, having the second largest Haitian-American community and Broward County, Florida having the third largest; and
WHEREAS, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, there were 95,669 Haitian-Americans living in Miami-Dade County at the last U.S. census in 2000; and
WHEREAS, Miami-Dade County is likely to see a large and rapid influx of Haitian migrants into our community as a result of the recent earthquake; and
WHEREAS, Haitian migrants coming to our community and other communities in the U.S. are likely to quickly need health care treatment for injuries and illnesses resulting from the January 12 earthquake; and
WHEREAS, Jackson Health System (�Jackson�) is the State of Florida�s largest provider of charity care, serving Florida as the only safety net hospital in Miami-Dade County; and
WHEREAS, Jackson consists of Jackson Memorial Hospital, 10 primary care centers, 17�school-based clinics, two long-term care nursing facilities, an outpatient diagnostic center, a children�s hospital, a rehabilitation hospital, a mental health hospital and two community hospitals; and
WHEREAS, a significant part of the charity care that Jackson provides is for undocumented migrants, who often lack an ability to pay for health care and are generally not eligible for government programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid; and
WHEREAS, in 2008, more than 77,000 migrants visited Jackson at a total cost of $38�million in unpaid care; and
WHEREAS, many newly-arrived Haitian migrants are likely to visit Jackson in 2010, substantially increasing the number of migrants Jackson treats this year, with corresponding financial burdens on a hospital system that is already under great financial stress; and
WHEREAS, Congress needs to provide funding to Jackson and other charity care hospitals to help offset the financial impact the anticipated migration of Haitian people to the U.S. with significant need for health care and treatment,


NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board:
Section 1. Urges Congress to provide federal reimbursement to Jackson Health System and other charity care hospitals for the health care treatment needs of anticipated Haitian migrants following the January 12 earthquake.
Section 2. Directs the Clerk of the Board to transmit a certified copy of this resolution to the members of the Miami-Dade Congressional Delegation and the Mayor and Board of County Commissioners of Broward County.
Section 3. Directs the County's federal lobbyists to advocate for the legislation set forth in Section 1 above, and authorizes and directs that the 2010 Federal Legislative Package be amended to include this item.