South Florida hospital leaders are grateful for DeSantis’ support during COVID pandemic | Opinion
When you turn on the TV, read the newspaper headlines or scroll through social media, it’s impossible to escape today’s glaring reality: COVID-19 is the hot-button political issue in our country.
But for our hospitals, the focus remains squarely on saving lives during one of this generation’s greatest public health challenges.
This virus — highly infectious, widespread and, at times, seemingly insurmountable — continues to take more lives than it should, shatter families and cause heartbreak with no boundaries.
Our healthcare systems are challenged in every way imaginable. Yet, every day, we see the resilience of our frontline workers, who unselfishly give of themselves to serve our communities.
Now, five long, grueling, painful months into this, we continue protecting our staff and learning how to better care for COVID patients. But our organizations are being tested like never before.
Our hospitals take great pride in being the lifeline to the ill and injured, but as South Florida inherited the undesirable distinction as the nation’s COVID-19 epicenter, we knew we couldn’t combat this virus alone.
Without hesitation, Gov. DeSantis, his team and state agencies stepped up to provide much-needed support. To all involved in helping us continue to deliver care to South Floridians, thank you.
We asked for temporary staff to relieve our exhausted frontline nurses, respiratory therapists, techs and nursing assistants — and with support from Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz, hundreds of reinforcements were sent to most South Florida hospitals.
We asked for additional doses of the in-high-demand drug Remdesivir to treat the sickest patients — and we received inventory to restock our pharmacies.
We asked for help identifying facilities where vulnerable, infected nursing-home patients could safely recover from the virus — and Agency for Healthcare Administration Secretary Mary Mayhew worked tirelessly to get regulatory approvals fast-tracked and facilities opened.
We asked for additional equipment to process COVID tests in our emergency rooms and personal protective equipment to shield caregivers. Again and again, they delivered.
These interventions were not fueled by politics or the upcoming elections, but rather a genuine desire to do the right thing for the people of Florida.
When it comes to beating this invisible enemy, it’s time for Floridians to put politics aside. As healthcare providers, we ask you to do your part by wearing masks, washing your hands and practicing social distancing. Together, we can overcome this.
Carlos A. Migoya is the president and CEO of Jackson Health System. He wrote this op-ed on behalf of a coalition of hospital and health system leaders in Miami-Dade and Broward counties: Bo Boulenger, Baptist Health South Florida; Mark E. Doyle, Holy Cross Health; Aurelio M. Fernandez III, Memorial Healthcare System; Maggie Gill, Tenet Palm Beach Market and Delray Medical Center; Charles Gressle, HCA Healthcare, East Florida Division; Mathew A. Love, Nicklaus Children’s Health System; Dr. Dipen J. Parekh, University of Miami Health System; Gino Santorio, Broward Health; Steven D. Sonenreich, Mount Sinai Medical Center; and Jeffrey M. Welch, Tenet Miami-Dade Market and Florida Medical Center.
