| REPORT: |
Mr. Marco Lapciuc, Chairman Elect for the Public Health Trust (PHT), noted he would officially take over the PHT on April 26, 2011. He spoke about his meeting with BCC Chairman Joe Martinez and his trip to Tallahassee. He commented on the proposed state budget cuts facing Jackson and the need for the hospital to reinvent itself. He noted there was approximately 14 to 15 days of operating cash on hand at the present time and said that if Jackson did not receive $35 million of the $50 million appropriated from the State last year, their operating cash on hand would be reduced to 5 to 8 days.
Mr. Lapciuc noted Jackson was currently relying on revenue collected through Medicaid and old debts and once the revenue collection became more in line with what was projected, Jackson’s losses would be reduced to about $12 million per month. He stressed the need to focus on outpatient ambulatory care, the need to stabilize the cash outage in order to aid the infrastructure, and the need to reform and industrialize the emergency room at Jackson.
Commissioner Heyman thanked Dr. Roldan for the informative report and acknowledged the need for Jackson to capture money on a patient’s length of stay. She also encouraged the Board of County Commissioners to reach out to businesses in the community and promote the utilization of Jackson Hospital as a health care option for their employees. She commented on the “Get Our Money” issue passed last year by the state legislature that promised $35 million to Jackson Hospital and urged everyone to get involved in obtaining what was promised to Jackson by the State of Florida.
Commissioner Heyman congratulated Jackson Memorial Hospital (JMH) for being ranked number one in the nation, however expressed concern that it was not mentioned by the media.
Commissioner Souto commented on the county’s need to take more drastic measures to address the financial crisis faced by JMH , however noted his opposition to selling or privatizing the hospital. He spoke on the need for more paying individuals to have their health care provided by Jackson to offset the costs of indigent care.
Commissioner Souto asked Assistant County Attorney Valda Clark Christian to investigate whether or not a stipulation could be included in county contracts requiring the employees of a company awarded a county contract to obtain their health care through Jackson Hospital and to provide a report to the County Commissioner on any viable options that could be utilized to require certain individuals, such as county employees, school board employees, or employees of companies that were awarded county contracts, to obtain their health care through JMH.
Commissioner Jordan noted, for the record, that JMH has been in crisis management mode for over four years and stressed the need for the County Commission to take action. She expressed concern that the Commission did not respond in a timely manner to JMH’s financial crisis despite having legislation adopted last year that put JMH on management watch.
Commissioner Jordan also noted future presentations relating to this matter should include the county’s proposed development of a contingency plan and be presented to the County Commission . She commended Dr. Roldan for her efforts, commitment, and hard work with JHS during her tenure as CEO and stressed the importance of the new CEO being an individual with experience, wisdom, and the proper qualifications as opposed to being a political appointment.
Dr. Roldan thanked Commissioner Jordan and assured the Committee she would continue working with Jackson. |
