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GREATER MIAMI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 2018 HEALTH CARE HEROES ®

INDIVIDUALS OF MERIT ORGANIZATIONS/PROGRAMS

JOHN A. ROCK, MD DEBBIE INSTITUTE
Founding Dean and Senior Vice President UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI
for Health Affairs, DEPARTMENT OF PEDIATRICS
Florida International University Herbert
Wertheim College of Medicine

In 2007, John A. Rock, MD, was appointed to
serve as founding dean and senior vice president for
health affairs at FIU’s new college of medicine. His
tremendous success in creating a quality medical
education program at FIU is evident: Herbert
Wertheim College of Medicine (HWCOM) current-
ly graduates approximately 120 medical students “Dr. John Rock’s perform-
each year, and those students consistently perform ance as dean is exemplary,
higher than the national average on national stan- but his devotion to South
dardized examinations and attend some of the most The Debbie Institute (Debbie School) pro-
prestigious residency training programs in the Florida goes far beyond the vides critically needed early intervention serv- “For over 40 years, through
nation. scope of his job as dean. ices for young children with disabilities collaboration and research, the
During his tenure, Dr. Rock has embedded med- Through numerous outreach throughout Miami-Dade County, regardless of Debbie Institute has been a
ical education into some of South Florida’s most initiatives, service-learning each family’s ability to pay. The school has a pioneer and community leader in
underserved communities through Green Family programs and partnerships three-fold purpose—to research problems that training healthcare and educational
Foundation NeighborhoodHELP, a novel outreach with bedrock institutions, Dr. impact children with special needs, provide professionals in the areas of early
and education program that is mutually beneficial Rock has created paths and training for university students, and offer serv-
to medical student education and to the participat- built bridges that connect ices for children and their families. intervention, therapies and
ing household members in the communities served. FIU students and faculty The special needs of the pediatric popula- education.”
The program, recognized nationally and interna- with some of the most under- tions served include visual and auditory Erika Pruss-Schmitz, MBA, MSW, RN
tionally, seeks to reduce or eliminate health dispari- served neighborhoods in the impairments, developmental delays and other Executive VP/Chief Operations
ties caused by social determinants like poverty, race region—changing the ways in sensory integration and development chal- Officer, Expat CPA
and ethnicity, and geographic location while simul- lenges that typically result from autism spec-
taneously training future health care providers to be which health care is delivered trum disorders and special syndromes such as
cognizant of such disparities. in South Florida.” CHARGE, Down’s, Fragile X, and cerebral palsy, among others.
Focusing his attention on disaster resilience, Dr. Claudia Puig Educational services are provided in fully inclusive classrooms where all children
Rock also forged a partnership between HWCOM President and General Manager learn together in an environment that fosters independence and encourages each
and the Florida Advanced Surgical Team (FAST) to of Local Media, Miami child to reach his or her own potential, while laying a strong foundation for lifelong
create FIU-FAST and ensure that South Florida is Univision Communications, Inc. success. Professional training and research projects are conducted in conjunction
prepared to respond to natural or manmade disas- with various departments within the academic medical center in order to develop
ters requiring rapid mobilization of a highly special- innovative methodologies to achieve successful outcomes, allowing students in these
ized medical response team. departments to acquire hands-on experience through exposure to a rich variety of
sensory and developmental conditions.

ORGANIZATIONS/PROGRAMS

ROUTINE HIV/HEPATITIS C SCREENING AND JACKSON HEALTH SYSTEM
LINKAGE TO CARE PROGRAM AT HOMESTEAD
HOSPITAL, BAPTIST HEALTH SOUTH FLORIDA “Jackson Health System, which
is proudly celebrating its centennial
An estimated 1.2 this year, is the crown jewel of
million Americans are Miami for providing a century of
living with HIV, and miracles to everyone in
one out of five people Miami-Dade County.”
with HIV do not
know that they have Joe Arriola
it. The disease contin- Chairman of the Public Health Trust
ues to spread, leading Board of Trustees
to about 56,000 new Jackson Health System
HIV infections each “Led by nurse champions, the
year. Unfortunately, Florida leads the nation, long-term impact of Homestead
with Miami-Dade County ranking as the top Hospital’s program is incredible, sav- On June 25, 1918, the new Miami City Hospital opened its doors to the commu-
county in the U.S. for new HIV infections. ing lives, reducing health care costs nity in the midst of a deadly influenza epidemic. The opening of the 13-bed hospital
Homestead Hospital is leading the effort to and providing people the linkages to marked the beginning of health care in Miami.
interrupt the HIV epidemic in South Florida. care they so desperately need.” Over the last 100 years, Miami City Hospital has grown from a small hospital into
The hospital implemented a routine HIV and Bill Duquette, CEO Jackson Health System, one of the nation’s largest, most comprehensive public health
Hepatitis C screening program in its emer- Baptist Health South Florida— systems, known for its highly trained physicians and cutting-edge care. It has
gency department (ED), and now all patients remained true to its mission—to provide a single, high standard of quality care for
presenting to the ED in need of blood work Homestead Hospital all the residents of Miami-Dade County, regardless of their ability to pay.
receive an HIV and HCV test unless they decline. It has become a medical destination for patients from all over the world in need of
The program, an example of inter-professional teamwork, took a coalition of hospital highly specialized care, and includes one of the largest neonatal intensive care units
and public health professionals and a significant investment of human and infrastructure in the nation; the Miami Transplant Institute; Ryder Trauma Center; and a Neurology
resources to bring about such a systemic change. Homestead Hospital was the first hos- & Neurosurgery Department of Excellence.
pital in Florida to implement routine HIV/HCV screening, and the program is now being The only public health system in Miami-Dade County, in fiscal year 2016, it pro-
replicated as a best practice at other Florida hospitals. Since implementing the program, vided $3.6 million in charity care. Jackson Health System reaches every corner of the
the hospital has screened more than 20,000 patients and identified more than 200 HIV county through clinics and health education programs, and helps to raise awareness
and nearly 600 HCV Ab positive individuals. Working in partnership with the Miami- of important wellness issues including heart health, diabetes, sexual assault aware-
Dade County Department of Health, linkage to care specialists is helping the individuals ness, burn safety, smoking cessation and more.
access medical care to reduce the spread of infection.

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