Peter Schorsch
Ok, so we all understand the revolving door of a second term president/governor/mayor. Secretaries and agency heads come and go and it is frankly man-bites-dog when a long-timer actually doesn’t leave an administration.
That is why we tip our hat to Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Liz Dudek for sticking it out for a few more years in the Scott administration. Good for you, Madam Secretary.
And good call, Governor Scott.
However, someone in the Executive Office of the Governor chose these words when praising Dudek’s work thus far, “She has also done an outstanding job making sure our hospitals are prepared to respond to any potential case of Ebola.”
Hmmm.
Let’s first be clear about one thing. AHCA is a big agency with a broad array of responsibilities and duties. There are probably a hundred things you can say in high regard for Secretary Dudek’s work, but I am not sure Ebola preparedness – especially in our state’s hospitals – is one of those.
Last week, the Tampa Bay Times reported, “No Florida hospitals designated Ebola treatment centers.” And while we should be thankful that no cases of the deadly virus have been reported in the Sunshine State, we really shouldn’t go around trumpeting how awesomely prepared our hospitals are when the CDC says that exactly zero are designated as “Ebola treatment centers.”
Especially if its not clear if that is AHCA’s role or if that is more the purview of the Department of Health.
Either way, it was an odd compliment that should not have been given. Someone in the front office needs to at least scan the clips and/or the job duties prior to preparing comments for the governor. This is especially true when you are writing about a highly regarded leader within his administration on a topic of interest to the public.
Because, in all likelihood, someone will call you on it.
