Voters overwhelmingly approved the Jackson bond by 65%. Read the Herald story here.
By itself, $830 million to upgrade Jackson won’t solve every challenge our public hospital faces.
But it is a critical step in making the future of community health in Miami brighter for all.
It could not have happened without the efforts of SEIU Local 1991 members who walked the halls and the streets, made phone calls, passed out literature and spoke at community forums and on radio and TV.
Hundreds turned out to early voting rallies at all three campuses.
Most importantly, many members voted. Click here to see some of the fun!
Congratulations to everyone who went the extra mile, once again, for our public hospital!
What now?
Jackson will be hiring a master planner to flesh out the plans they have for updating the facilities. They will issue bonds and requests for proposals for projects. An oversight committee will be set up, according to County Commissioner Audrey Edmonson and others. We will be paying close attention to this process as it develops.
CEO Carlos Migoya has said in the media that one of the first big projects will be a 60-bed rehab hospital located near the main campus. And they will be looking for a good location for a new children’s outpatient hospital and scouting places to open up several urgent care clinics all over the county.
The bond money will also allow the hospital to upgrade its electronic medical records system and buy more modern medical equipment for the ERs and ORs and other areas.