Crystal Stickle: A strong health care system depends on every Floridian counted in the census

Image via AP.

Every Florida resident has the power right now to influence what our state’s health care system looks like for the next 10 years.

Each of us has an equal ability to determine how much federal funding the state will get and whether our communities will have the workforce, services, and capacity needed to meet our state’s growing health care needs and to be resilient and responsive in the face of disaster, be it a pandemic, hurricane, or man-made threat.

That power comes from completing the U.S. census before Sept. 30.

Most of us know the once-a-decade population count known as the census is the means by which the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are divided among the 50 states. The founding fathers deemed a decennial national count to determine Congressional representation so important they put it in the Constitution.

But, the census influences many more decisions than just Congressional representation.

A state’s population and demographics, as reported by the census, are used to determine allocations among states and among communities of billions of dollars in federal funding for vital health care programs, including Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, Medicare, preventive health, mental health, and maternal and child health. Decisions about where to build additional hospitals and clinics are guided by the population statistics from the census.

When disasters, such as hurricanes, strike, state and local governments use population data to allocate a proportional amount of resources and aid to impacted areas.

A complete and accurate census is fundamental to being able to build and maintain a health care infrastructure that can meet the needs of all our residents. But, getting an accurate count in a state as large and diverse as Florida is a challenge.

As of Aug. 23, just over 60% of Floridians have completed the 2020 census. That response rate puts Florida below the national average of 64% and 33rd among the 50 states. A look back to the last census reminds us of the very real costs of low completion.

Florida lost approximately $20 billion in federal funding over the last 10 years because enough of us didn’t participate in the 2010 census.

COVID-19 thrust hospitals and our health care heroes into the spotlight like never before. Gratitude for their tireless work and sacrifice has come in many forms. Over the next month, every Floridian has another opportunity to express their thanks by being counted in the census so that future health care funding is commensurate with our needs and can help us meet our challenges, whatever they may be.

We’ve got a long way to go for every household in Florida to complete its census form. In about a month, we need more than 2.5 million additional households to be counted. Complete your form today. The inputs are minimal. The impact is significant. Rarely do we as individuals have such a chance to do so much for the greater good.

 The census truly is one of those moments.

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Crystal Stickle is the interim president of the Florida Hospital Association. FHA comprises over 200 hospitals and health systems from across the state. Through representation and advocacy, education and informational services, we support the mission of our members to provide the highest quality of care to the patients we serve. For more information, visit www.fha.org.