Staff Reports
With Sine Die in the rearview, Florida’s Safety Net Hospitals are applauding lawmakers for directing money to institutions providing complex, lifesaving care to Florida’s most vulnerable.
The Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida represents many nonprofit institutions and health care systems across the state that serve a high volume of Medicaid patients and provide an outsized share of uncompensated care.
“Safety Net Hospitals are Florida’s premier public hospitals, academic medical centers, and children’s hospitals, including Florida’s most advanced perinatal intensive care centers,” said Safety Net Hospitals CEO Justin Senior. “We’re grateful the Legislature recognized how vital it is to protect funding for hospitals that deliver complex care to Floridians, especially our vulnerable residents with serious medical needs.”
He continued, “This budget allows Safety Nets to provide the most advanced lifesaving procedures, primary care, and prevention services to all communities across our great state, while shouldering the highest volumes of Medicaid and charity care in the state.”
The Alliance also praised lawmakers for continuing to invest in the state’s medical workforce pipeline, with Senior touting recently released data showing Safety Net Alliance members are beating statewide and national averages in Match Rates — a measurement of hospitals’ success in filling their empty residency slots.
“By funding graduate medical education, lawmakers are ensuring Florida has a strong pipeline of well-trained doctors who are more likely to stay and practice here after residency. Supporting our teaching hospitals is one of the smartest investments Florida can make to provide world-class care now and into the future,” Senior said.
Safety Net Hospital Alliance members include UF Health, Jackson Health, Ascension Florida, Broward Health, Halifax Health, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, Lee Health, Memorial Healthcare System, Mount Sinai Medical Center, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, Orlando Health, Sarasota Memorial Health Care System and Tampa General Hospital.
