Civic › Miami-Dade County, FL › September 29, 2026

Public Health Trust Board of Trustees - Sep 29, 2026

Miami-Dade County, FL Board of County Commissioners September 29, 2026 31 minutes
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Transcript

Speaker

Thank you so much for sharing and always inspiring us. Truly appreciated. I guess let's go into the Pledge of Allegiance now. This is a time for an opportunity for the public to be heard. Is there anyone here? Okay, great. I need a motion to set the agenda for today. So moved. All those in favor? Aye. Okay. So it's going to be very difficult to follow Reverend Richardson's words, but we do have some special presentations today. We have the Miami-Dade delegation here with us today. So in addition to our very own board member, Senator Alexis Calatayou, we have some guests, Representative Alex Rizzo. If you could join us here, please. Alexis, please come to the front. Representative Omar Blanco. Representing Mike Redondo is Sam Campbell. And we have a representative from Ashley Gantt's team. I'm sorry? Oh, okay. But Ashley Gantt is also part of the delegation. On behalf of the entire board, we wanted to thank you for being here. David, do you want to join them, please? Okay. And the rest of the board members, I just have words that I have to say, and then I'll join you in just a second. We wanted to take a moment to recognize you. Thank you and all the members of the Miami-Dade Legislative Delegation for your tremendous and continued support for the Jackson Health System. And year after year, this delegation has been an extraordinary partner, an advocate for Jackson, and for the patients and families that we're privileged to serve. Thank you so much. This past session was no exception. Jackson has been fortunate to secure two important line-item appropriations from the state. $7.5 million to support the Miami Transplant Institute. We heard from them earlier today the incredible work that they do. It's life-saving transplant programs. And we also received $350,000 for critical equipment at Holtz Children's Hospital. Thank you so much. We are especially grateful for the support we received for these two appropriations from the legislative sponsors, our very own Senator Alexis Calatayu, Representative Alex Rizzo, and Representative Mike Redondo. Your leadership and advocacy helped make this critical funding possible. And we are very appreciative of your willingness to champion Jackson and our mission in Tallahassee. These investments directly support Jackson's ability to provide highly specialized and essential care, not only to the residents of Miami-Dade County, but to patients and families from throughout Florida and beyond. I also want to offer special acknowledgment to, again, our very own Alexis Calatayu. Senator Calatayu has been a consistent and steadfast supporter of Jackson, both through her service on this board and through her leadership in the Florida Senate. We're incredibly grateful for your advocacy, your commitment to this institution, and the many ways you continue to support Jackson and the community that we serve. To Senator Calatayu, Representative Rizzo, and Representative Redondo, and the entire Miami-Dade Legislative Delegation, again, thank you for continuing to stand with Jackson. Your partnership and advocacy make a meaningful difference in our community and in fulfilling our mission, and it ensures us that our community continues to have access to world-class health care, regardless of our patients' ability to pay. Thank you so much. Miami-Dade has a lot of special things, as we all know. We love the 305. We love to represent the 305. And one of its keystones is Jackson. We don't forget about that. I can tell you that for the six years that I've been there. We cannot forever forget that. What you did during COVID was God's work. No one in the state will ever forget that. And as budgets become increasingly tighter and funding is more challenging, and there's 120 representatives and 40 senators all fighting for a piece of a defined pie, no one fights harder than Senator Alexis Calatayu for Jackson Health. Maybe David and Esther, because they kind of let us know and kind of keep us in line, and they always let us know. It's not just during session or when we're up there in committee weeks. They're constantly reminding us of our responsibility. And obviously, and I, for one, and I know I speak for all of us, and you're going to hear from Representative Blanco, that's something that we don't need reminding. We know how important Jackson is. We know how important everything that you do every single day is. And we are very proud to always help, and we will always. Every single person that is a part of our delegation will always be there fighting for Jackson Health. So thank you very much. Thank you. Let's see, where are we at? Good afternoon. What a pleasure to be here with all of you. If you don't know my background, my career over 20 years, working with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue as a captain, so that experience with Jackson for years has been one of complete solidarity. And that also reflects my career as a state representative. If you happen to watch this amazing podcast called On Call Off Shift, I had the great honor of being on it recently, enjoying my son. If you don't know, Jackson South trauma, along with Dr. Martos, saved my son's life. He was attacked by a shark, which is something that apparently Dr. Martos had a lot of experience with, you know, unfortunately. But fortunately for my son, he is alive and well. He is walking. If he had his pants on, you wouldn't know he ever got bit. But he does got attacked underwater about 70 feet by a 9-foot bull shark. And while, you know, probably the scariest moment in my life, Jackson South and the Jackson family performed at the ultimate levels to save my son. So I'm grateful to the board, but I'm also grateful to amazing staff, nurses, every single person that makes Jackson Health the amazing place it is. So God bless you and thank you very much. Just briefly, you all deserve every ounce of support represented in that check and so much more. As we look into uncertain waters in the future, count on the day delegation to be your biggest champion in Tallahassee. What we do, no one does. What you do, no one does. And so we need to make sure that that message isn't just clear to the day delegation, but that every member of the legislature understands without Jackson, there is no health system across the state. What we do in intergovernmental transfers, what we do in medicine, technology, innovation, is above what's happening anywhere else. And we share. That's the powerful thing about Jackson. We don't just perform. We don't just create opportunity. We don't just address the needs of our community, but we make it possible for other communities to address their needs. So I just want to tell the board that what you've seen today is a small representation of what's continuing to build momentum within the day delegation of full-hearted, full-throated support of your mission. Thank you again for everything you all do. On behalf of our team, thank you to all of you very much. Senator Caldehut, on behalf of our entire team, Representative Rizzo, Blanco, Redondo, we don't take for granted. We realize you have a lot of competing agendas, but I'll echo saying what we do matters to you, and when we call, you consistently say yes. So for your leadership and unwavering support, this organization and this team is entirely grateful. Thank you. Second special presentation of the day, Dr. Walter Richardson. We wanted to take a moment to recognize you and thank you again for your dedicated service as a member of the Public Health Trust Board for over a decade. Your presence has been felt. Thank you. Serving on this board requires a significant amount of commitment, time, and energy, and thoughtful leadership. Throughout your tenure, you have brought your experience, perspective, and really a genuine commitment to discussions, and more importantly, the mission of the Jackson Health System. Dr. Richardson, on behalf of the entire Board of Trustees and the Jackson family, we want to thank you. Thank you for your time, your devotion, your spiritual leadership, and your thoughtful contributions to the board and your support of Jackson, our leadership team, our employees, and patients, and the families that we serve. Board service is ultimately about stewardship, helping to ensure that Jackson remains strong today while positioning the institution for continued growth and ability to service the community for generations to come. We're grateful that you chose to give your time and talents towards that responsibility. It's been a privilege to serve alongside you. I think all board members would say the same. Please know that your contributions to Jackson are sincerely appreciated, and we wish you nothing but the best and continued success in everything you do. We have a special presentation that we'd like to share with you. It's a memento on behalf of the entire Jackson leadership team and board members. We have that handy there. Join us for another photo op. David, I'll hand the microphone over to you in just a second. I just wanted to acknowledge your first 120 days I think we're up to today as president and CEO. David has made it a priority to visit every single Jackson site. I can attest to at least three that I've participated with him. He's held town hall meetings at all of these sites and really has done an excellent job communicating the vision of Jackson to our teammates and caregivers and the frontline team that really makes this place just an incredible place. Having seen David in action, we should be all very proud. He is doing an incredible job, great thought leadership, great listening. There isn't a question that is asked that he either doesn't have the answer to or doesn't promise to get back to the teams with. I think just overall very well received. Thank you so much for that. Congratulations on your town hall tour. I hope you continue to do those because I do think that they're important, and I really just wanted to share that with the rest of the board. Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman. As we heard this morning, the Jackson Health System offers an extraordinary breadth of services across the system, several of which truly set us apart and demonstrate the level of complexity and highly specialized care we offer here to our community. Earlier today, you heard about one of those programs, the Mammy Transplant Institute, an important pride point at Jackson. In just four years since the launching of our lung center at Jackson, our lung transplant program has experienced tremendous growth, becoming the highest volume program in Florida last year and number 10 nationally. This program and the others within the MTI supported by an exceptional multidisciplinary team of surgeons, physicians, nurses, coordinators, and other caregivers who guide patients and their families through every stage of this life-changing journey. Another area of tremendous pride is our pediatric care delivered at Holtz Children's Hospital in partnership with the University of Miami Health System. Two weeks ago, several of our pediatric specialties were once again recognized by the U.S. News and World Report. Pediatric nephrology, ranked 39th nationally and number one in Florida. Pediatric gastroenterology and GI surgery, ranked 47th nationally and second in Florida. Pediatric diabetes and endocrinology, ranked 19th nationally and third in Florida. And our neonatology made tremendous progress, improving its overall score to within 10 spots of the nation's top 50 specialties. Holtz Children's Hospital ranked 8th among Children's Hospital as well. These rankings reinforce the strength of the highly specialized care our teams provide to children and families across South Florida and beyond. And we're looking forward to having more ranked pediatric programs in the years to come. As you shared, Madam Chairwoman, as part of my first 150-day transition, one of my priorities has been to spend time with different stakeholder groups across Jacksonville, especially our employees. I spent much of the month of September traveling across the health system for my CEO town hall series, visiting facilities, speaking directly with teams, and it gave me a chance to share my vision for Jackson, answer any questions, and just most importantly, listen, as you noted. I wrapped up the 28th and final town hall yesterday, and it's been an incredible experience meeting new team members and reconnecting with familiar faces. The town halls were well attended, and at every stop we recognized employees whose commitment and contributions exemplify what's best about Jackson. What stood out for me was the pride our people have in Jackson and how important it is that we continue to listen, communicate openly and clearly, and stay connected to the individuals who are making our care happen. And finally, I want to again close my comments by recognizing Dr. Richardson's stellar performance and certainly their contribution to this body and our organization. That concludes my comments today, Madam Chair Wynn. Thank you. I'll open it up to other board members if there's any additional comments that you'd like to make at this time. If I may, Madam Chair, so it's been an honor to serve with Dr. Richardson. I'm grateful personally for the example that he has shared with me. I think our entire community is grateful for everything he does every day, and he doesn't talk about it. He doesn't say anything about it, but I see it. I notice it. Your presence is felt from religious support to support for police and our firefighters, for support here at the hospital, for support in anything that he's ever been asked in front of me. I've never heard the word no. So for that, I'm grateful, and I'm honored, sir, to have served here with you, and I hope that our paths will cross again. Thank you, Amadeo. Madam Chair? Yes. Reverend Richardson, I just want to tell you, it's been an honor to serve with you. Every time that I'm in your presence, you make an impact on me. And it's one of modeling what it means to serve, not only on this board, but in the community, modeling what it means to have compassion and caring for not only being a board member, but for the people that you come in contact with. Every conversation has left me impacted positively. And I just want to tell you, thank you, and I'm grateful to have been in your presence. Thank you, Madam Chair. Dr. Richardson, I'm so grateful for your friendship that you offer it to everyone that comes in contact with you. And I think your decades of service in every place that you've put your hand, whether that was rebuilding South Dade or your spiritual ministry or your work with Mr. Chapman, or I want to thank you for the grace that you extend to everyone you serve and serve with. Thank you for seeing the best in people, being a champion for that, while never forgetting the true north and the good. That combination of grace and compassion is so special to you, and it comes out in all of your work, the work of your hands and the work of your service. And thank you for being a person who inspires with your words, but more powerfully inspires with your life. Thank you for your service to Jackson and to our community as a whole. You are a blessing. Yes, Moj. Thank you. I'm going to keep it brief because I'm emotional. And you have blessed not just this institution, but you've had such an illustrious life of service. You should be blessed. Thank you, board members. I think it's obvious how grateful we are, Dr. Richardson. Thank you. All right. I did skip over the approval of the minutes. If I could get a motion. Dr. Richardson, would you like to move the minutes for the last time? There you go. Do I have a second? All those in favor? Aye. Aye. Great. We met earlier today as a committee of the whole. Moj, can you walk us through the report for the audit and compliance update? Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to recognize our stellar audit and compliance teams for another year of strong oversight and for completing nearly all of the initiatives outlined in the fiscal year 2026 compliance and audit work plans. As we look ahead to fiscal 27, I'm encouraged to see Jackson proactively and robustly addressing emerging areas of risk, including but not limited to cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, third-party governance, and data integrity. I'm grateful for the work that they're doing. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. We also had a quality update, and as David Zambrana mentioned, the Miami Transplant Institute reported today. They continue to demonstrate why it's such an important part of Jackson with a focus not only on transplant volume, but on outcomes, access and quality, and the patient experience. We heard a little bit of two brothers that had a degenerative disease, and it was incredible to hear how Jackson has been able to serve that family. One brother had a kidney transplant, and his younger brother had a transplant as well due to the family condition, and it really was a testament to the world-class care provided here by the MTI team. The Purchasing and Facilities Subcommittee met and presented. We heard from ESA about the capital projects that are underway. There's a lot happening at our facilities, especially Jackson Memorial, Jackson North, Jackson South, and Jackson West, and throughout our ambulatory network. The investments that are being made come back to one thing, which ultimately is about creating a better environment to care for our patients and to support our employees. Mark presented the fiscal update. Great job by the finance team. We have a new member of the team that Mark introduced to us as well. Your continued stewardship for the Jackson resources is what keeps us, you know, going. You keep the board thoroughly informed and share with us the financial performance of the organization. And we also had an update from the procurement team, and Rosa and her team are doing a great job, again, as stewards of this organization. So really do appreciate everybody coming together for that. We also had a strategy update, and David, I think I'll bounce this one to you to provide the update there. We asked the PHT board to approve the interior naming of our West Wing Tower after Carlos A. Magoya. As a team and as an organization, certainly on board, we want to commemorate and really signify the impact he's had on this organization. So we will be unveiling that on November 10th. Thank you. Thank you for that. So at this moment, we have several resolutions that were passed earlier in the day by the subcommittees. If council could walk us through them. Yes, happy to do that. At 11A, you have the credentialing report. At 11B, you have a resolution for the continued designation of Rider Trauma Center as a Level 1 Trauma Center. At 11C, you have a resolution regarding the amendment to the PHT, medical staff bylaws, and rules and regulations. At 11D, you have the purchasing report. At 11E, you have the second amendment to the lease agreement with the University of Miami at Jackson West Medical Center. At 11F, you have a lease agreement with Quest Diagnostics at the ACC. At 11G, you have the resolution naming the interior of the facility, currently known as West Wing, at Jackson Memorial Hospital as the Carlos A. Magoya Patient Care Tower. And then you have the FY 2027 Audit and Compliance Work Plan. And lastly, you have the MTI Annual Quality Report. You can entertain a motion to approve all those items together, should you like. Dr. Richardson, would you move it, all of the items? Do we have a second? All those in favor? Aye. Okay. That concludes our meeting. Do we have a motion to adjourn, Dr. Richardson? Meeting is adjourned. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.