February 4, 2013
RYDER TRAUMA CENTER AND TRAUMA SERVICES IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY
Miami, FL – Preserving the care that Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital has provided the citizens of Miami-Dade County for more than 20 years is paramount.
Carlos A. Migoya, president and CEO of Jackson Health System and Martha Baker, R.N., president of SEIU Local 1991, which represents the registered nurses, doctors and healthcare professionals at Jackson Health System, issued the following statement:
“This community hasn’t forgotten that when all the private trauma centers in Miami-Dade County walked away from the business, we all stepped up to build the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson. In the 20 years that followed, the taxpayers have invested in making Ryder a national model and a local treasure. Ryder has grown with our community by serving our community and should not be handcuffed when the future of South Florida’s trauma service is at stake. Protecting the public’s investment by preserving our legal rights to expand Ryder’s trauma system in an era of competition is the right thing to do.”
UPDATE: The Miami-Dade County Commission made the right decision to let stand its vote to allow JHS to pursue legal options as necessary to protect its right to operate additional trauma centers. See Miami Herald story here.