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Cover Story: Public Awareness Saves Lives

Continued from page 1 who was impressed with our
that's our goal." level of services, and recom-
He continued, saying mended that Safe Haven reach
that if they cannot keep the out to us. He felt confident
baby, they may place the that we would be a good part-
infant directly with an ner. When Dr. Bruno contact-
adoption agency and can ed us, it was such an easy
remain in the life of that decision for us, a no-brainer.
child if they so request. Safe Haven saves lives, and
Another option is, if they more importantly plays such a (l-r) Dr. William Bruno, Ambassador, Safe Haven for Newborns; Matt Johnson, General
want to remain anony- vital role in our community by Manager Century Ambulance Service; Nick Silverio, Founder, Safe Haven for Newborns; Jose
mous, the baby is placed in Salome Lofty providing pregnant mothers,
the Safe Haven program, in their most desperate Lopez, EMT Century Ambulance Service; Mario Lascano, EMT Century Ambulance Service;
and the mother's name doesn't appear on moment, with safe, sound, and compas- Jonathan Pauwels, South Florida Regional Operations Manager, Century Ambulance.
the birth certificate. Silverio said this sionate alternatives to abandoning their
process has saved many lives – more than newborn infants; and everything is done in eral ways. A mother can give birth to a or artwork, with everything being oriented
325 in the 20 years since Safe Haven was such a confidential manner." baby outside of a hospital and take it either toward Safe Haven. "With this pandemic,
founded. Silverio added, "We met with Century to a fire station or a hospital and express it's given them a way to earn their hours
Safe Haven already had partnerships some months ago and explained our pro- her desire to leave the baby with the pro- fairly easily."
with hospitals and fire stations in Florida. gram, and then provided education to the gram. Or the mother may have the baby at In summary, Silverio said, "Our message
All hospitals have the Safe Haven logo ambulance drivers and supervisors, so the hospital and can ask to leave the child is that if you're pregnant or know some-
posted outside their emergency depart- they would know what to do if they were with Safe Haven. In some scenarios, she body who is, and are all alone and don't
ments, as do all 24/7-staffed fire stations. in a situation where somebody wanted to may have the baby but leave without let- know what to do, call us. We can get help."
"We felt that would communicate that leave their baby. And we recently put ting anybody know what she wants to do. Lofty added, "It's a much-needed service
there is a safe haven, so people could ask decals on the ambulances. Constant However, sometimes after giving up her in our community, and we are committed
questions, find out what a safe haven is, awareness: it's an ongoing process." baby, the mother learns she has support to supporting Safe Haven in their mission
get answers, and know there was help." Lofty confirmed, "That means that each but didn't realize it. In those cases, she has to eliminate infant abandonment."
To further the possibility of providing of our ambulances serves as a safe haven 30 days to reclaim the child by going
help, Safe Haven's latest partnership is for newborns. So we are ready to assist any through the court system. Safe Haven can
with Century Ambulance Service, a pri- mother in crisis should she need the assis- help with that, too. For more information about A Safe Haven
vately owned medical transport company. tance." Safe Haven has also created an app for for Newborns, call (877) 767-2229 or visit
Lofty explained, "I received a call from Dr. Silverio said Safe Haven was created high school and college students to be able www.asafehavenfornewborns.com. For
William Bruno, one of the ambassadors for because mothers want to be anonymous, to earn their community service hours. Century Ambulance Service, Inc.,
Safe Haven for Newborns. He was referred and that's why they were leaving babies They can tackle one of three do-at-home call (800) 771-2829 or visit
to Century by one of our mutual partners unattended. The program can help in sev- projects: a smartphone video, a newsletter, www.centuryambulance.com.

Decreased Pressure Provides LINK+ a Life Preserver

Opportunities for Targeted Reform I am sure anyone who has had a loved one diag-

nosed with cancer or some other terminal illness
Some interesting data is starting to emerge which can attest to the feeling of shock and the surreal
indicates that health care is of lesser concern to the quality that you feel when hearing the diagnosis.
electorate during this election cycle than in previous It is like a punch in the stomach, a gnawing feeling
years. The Kaiser Family Foundation recently report- that this is what you now have to face every day
ed on these trends that show the public’s focus has you wake up. My brother George recently got
clearly been impacted by the emergence of seemingly diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I cannot even
more immediate concerns such as the economic put into words what he must be going through
impact of COVID-19 and social justice issues. right now. As my brother’s health advocate, I will
The precipitous drop of health care as a key voting now be fighting for his life and doing everything
issue is an interesting phenomenon that demands fur- in my power to be there for him, emotionally,
ther study; however, it may usher in short-term oppor- physically and to obtain the most progressive BY MICHELLE MORSE
tunities for targeted reforms that often get overlooked treatment that is available.
amongst the drive for more sweeping change. BY RUDOLPH MOISE, My older brother and I are 12 years apart. I
Individuals polled still rank affordability and access DO, JD, MBA started hanging out with George socially, my senior year in high school. I would
to care as the most important health care issues. As the be walking home from school and he and his buddies would be shooting hoops
November elections approach, it is those issues that in our driveway. They were older than me and let me tag along with them, so
the Dade County Medical Association continues to that made me feel “cool”. I looked up to my older brother. We bonded over a
address in our ongoing discussions with current and future elected officials. There passion for music as well. That bond would continue for the rest of our lives.
is no doubt that reduced regulation and payment parity for telehealth services dur- To this day, we have never lived farther than 15 minutes from each other.
ing the pandemic has enabled physicians to expand access to care in rural commu- George has always been a happy-go-lucky, live in the moment kind of guy.
nities and for vulnerable populations. This regulatory relief and payment parity Never worrying about tomorrow. God bless him, he rarely lets anything get him
should be made permanent by the Florida Legislature. down. Even when he ended up in the hospital because of diabetes, 20 years ago,
Insurance company utilization of step therapy procedures and strict treatment he took it in stride and adjusted his diet accordingly. Years later, he would add
guidelines often delay provision or restrict access to medically-necessary care. These high blood pressure and cardiomyopathy to his list of health issues.
delays can increase cost of care through mismanagement of conditions, or shift the Luckily, with the help of technology, I can use our Link+ medical device to
costs of treatment onto patients who cannot get care approved. The DCMA supports monitor his blood sugar, blood pressure, oximeter pulse and temperature in
legislation that would require insurance carriers to provide patients with trans- real-time. For example, when he tests his blood sugar, the information seam-
parency and accountability in the utilization of such procedures. lessly connects to the secure HIPPA-compliant portal via 4G or 5G. Happily,
Finally, the economic fallout from the pandemic will undoubtedly leave many George does not have to worry about downloading an app or using a tablet. I
Floridians without access to employer-sponsored health insurance. Our organiza- can view the data at any time. I can also send comprehensive daily health
tion supports traditional or innovative programs to provide access to coverage on a reports to his doctor.
temporary basis to those impacted. As one of my brother’s caregivers, the LINK+ gives me some peace of mind
The 2021 Legislative Session may provide a small window of opportunity to land these days. And I can continue being that annoying, proactive sister that he has
some of these targeted reforms without the cloud of sweeping reform hanging over- always known me to be.
head. We encourage physicians and patients to work with the DCMA and our elect-
ed officials to deliver improved access and affordability of health care. For more information about the LINK+, call Michelle Morse, American
Telemedicine, at (561) 278-2222 ext. 104 or visit www.american-telemedicine.com.
Dr. Rudolph Moise is President of the Dade County Medical Association.
For more information, contact the DCMA at (305) 324-8717.

6 October 2020 southfloridahospitalnews.com South Florida Hospital News