We all have a chance to make a real difference in Jackson’s future on Tuesday, August 16th when a critical decision will be discussed at a Town Hall meeting hosted by Commissioner Rebeca Sosa. Commissioner Sosa put together a carefully selected task force made up of most of Jackson’s competitors to make a recommendation for Jackson’s future structure. To no one’s surprise, the group recommended turning over Jackson to a private not-for-profit corporation that would have less accountability.
Jackson as it exists today is in jeopardy of being ripped apart if the County Commission approves the Task Force’s recommendation.
Here’s why: Jackson receives $350 million of public funding and gives away $700 million in charity care each year. A private corporation will have no obligation to continue to provide the same level of service to the community as Jackson does today, if it decides it’s not affordable. There is no doubt that under the task forces’ structural model, care for the uninsured will be reduced. More clinics in the underserved areas will be closed. Follow-up care and needed procedures will be deemed unaffordable. Once the $350 million of care is issued, patients will be sent home. And because Jackson would no longer be a public entity, we the public would have no way to object. This proposed governing body would have the power to make drastic changes at Jackson and we would have no ability to prevent it. We’ve already seen the importance of having public oversight over our hospital, such as when Jackson’s administrators attempted to close Jackson South’s OB Unit last year and were only stopped when Miami-Dade commissioners voted against it.
We advocate to Save Jackson the RIGHT way!
Experts in hospital turnarounds have said there is a better way to save Jackson and keep—and even expand—services. They say Jackson can cut costs through efficiencies and better management, and can increase revenues by expanding services to paying patients. Commissioner Sosa needs to see and hear from the dedicated nurses, doctors and healthcare professionals that make Jackson the incredible healthcare facility that exists today. There is a battle for control of Jackson and if its caregivers don’t speak up, the public will lose out.
LET’S TELL COMMISSIONER SOSA… SCRAP THE TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATION THAT WILL RIP APART JACKSON! DON’T GIVE AWAY JACKSON TO A PRIVATE CORPORATION!
Keep Jackson Public!
EVENT DETAILS
WHAT: Commissioner Sosa District 6 Town Hall Meeting on the Hospital Governance Task Force Recommendations
WHERE: Rebeca Sosa Multipurpose Center, 1700 SW 62nd Ave, West Miami, FL 33155
WHEN: Tuesday, August 16, 2011
TIME: 6 to 8 p.m. NEED DIRECTIONS? CLICK HERE!