Grand Jury Calls Jackson Health β€œa Colossal Mess”

Grand jury tells county to stay out of hospital affairs, but to watch the money

"What a colossal mess!"

That's the first line of an original version of a Miami-Dade grand jury investigation into Jackson Health System's finances and pretty much sums up the Jackson saga that has resulted in hundreds of employees without jobs and the county commission threatening to overthrow the hospital's leadership.

The pointed words weren't actually supposed to be released to the media, so after recognizing the error, Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office officials quickly snatched up the report from the media and planned to switch it out for the final version.

But of course, it was too late.

The lengthy report didn't name names and did not conclude that there was criminal wrongdoing taking place, as union officials had accused at the beginning of the Jackson saga, but to call the report damning would be an understatement.

Jackson officials and the board appointed to watch over the health care provider's finances were called "irresponsible, complacent and even reckless" with money. As a result, Jackson Health is running a $230 million deficit this year.

The report also used the word "catastrophe" when talking about the millions of dollars lost or never collected because of shoddy financial practices.

Employees have suffered the most from Jackson's mismanagement. More than 400 nurses and other healthcare practitioners were laid off to help close the budget gap.

But despite the hundreds of pages filled with stinging criticism of the current Jackson management, the grand jury report orders the county to butt out of most affairs, including labor discussions and policies.

It does however ask the county to continue to watch how Jackson spends its money.

"Our onsite executive management team will also continue monitoring its progress and assisting them as required. We are committed to Jackson Health System and the millions of people it serves,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez said ina  statement.

The State Attorney's Office is expected to hold a press conference on the official findings of the report sometime Wednesday. The entire report will be posted on the SOA website.

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