[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 119 (Wednesday, September 3, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H7812-H7813]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      CONGRATULATIONS TO IRA CLARK

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Carter). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) is recognized 
for 5 minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to take this opportunity 
to extend my congratulations to Ira Clark, the former president and 
chief executive officer of the Public Health Trust of Dade County. And 
why? Because he is retiring from this prestigious post.
  The Public Health Trust of Dade County, Florida is the governing body 
of Jackson Memorial Hospital, one of the largest and busiest hospitals 
in the United States. Jackson Memorial Hospital has a major teaching 
affiliation with the University of Miami School of Medicine. In 
addition, it has a long history as the major Medicaid provider in the 
State of Florida.
  Under Ira's leadership, Jackson Memorial has maintained its stature 
as one of the top hospitals in the country. As president and CEO of the 
hospital, Ira Clark has been concerned with the County, with the State 
and Federal programs, as well as funding for the hospital and its 
satellite facilities. Ira's stewardship of Jackson Memorial Hospital is 
testament to his understanding of our community and its health care 
needs. Through internal and external collaboration, he has brought 
about operational improvements that have strengthened the hospital and 
has initiated multiple expansion projects to help the hospital better 
serve the people of our South Florida community.
  Ira has dedicated many years to assuring that quality health care is 
available for every South Florida resident through primary care 
networks. Because the mission of the Public Health Trust is so 
extensive, Ira determined that it should evolve as a system rather than 
as a single-locator health provider. So Jackson Health System now 
includes a hospital which was renamed Jackson South Community Hospital, 
a network of primary care centers located in medically underserved 
neighborhoods, school-based clinics, and long-term facilities, 
providing residents that appropriate care in their very own 
neighborhoods. Jackson has a tremendous team of health care 
professionals, nurses such as Debra Diaz O'Reilly, who is the Chair of 
the Committee on Political Education and is up here in Washington, D.C. 
this very week lobbying on behalf of the Service Employees 
International Union of the AFL-CIO, which services the residents and 
the patients of Jackson Hospital. And upon arriving at Jackson in 1987, 
Ira delineated several central goals to strengthen the hospital's 
position as all things to all people.

                              {time}  1930

  His first goal was to find a predictable source of recurring 
financing that would maintain Jackson's quality and mission. He was 
able to secure the necessary funds from a half penny sales tax. In 
addition, the Public Health Trust sold more than $150 million in 
revenue bonds in the spring of 1994, which brought in much-needed 
capital to expand and remodel Jackson and its satellite facilities.
  The money from the half penny tax gave the institution stability and 
allowed for Ira to realize his second goal of decompression. 
Decompression has been realized through the establishment of the 
Jackson North Maternity Center; the Taylor Breast Health Center, which 
provides complete care for cancer detection and positive management of 
all breast-related problems; the Diagnostic Treatment Center, which 
provides residents with access to diagnostic procedures such as 
outpatient surgery, mammography, ultrasound diagnostics and endoscopic 
and fluoroscopic tests in a setting closer to home, as well as the 
Ryder Treatment Center.
  The Ryder Treatment Center is the largest, most comprehensive trauma

[[Page H7813]]

center in the world. It provides resuscitation, emergency surgical 
intervention, diagnostic and medical treatment and intensive care to 
Dade County's trauma victims. In addition, the center features 
extensive research and educational facilities. Its primary focus is on 
lowering the preventable death rate by increasing the delivery of 
trauma care during the critical 60 minutes after an injury.
  In addition to the aforementioned centers, tremendous strides have 
been made in enhancing the hospital and the invaluable services that it 
provides to our State of Florida. Relationships have been established 
with other prime providers to position the Public Health Trust as a 
leader.
  Jackson has evolved from a single-location health provider into a 
system that stretches throughout the county and includes 12 primary 
care centers, four school-based clinics, two medical long-term 
facilities, a maternity hospital and a community hospital. All this has 
been established while maintaining Jackson as one of the foremost 
hospitals in the country.
  The Public Health Trust also has responsibility for clinics in six of 
the county's correctional facilities and a number of other services, 
such as the South Florida AIDS Network.
  Throughout his career, Ira Clark's talent and energy have been 
focused on one overall mission: providing high-quality health care to 
all people. He has clearly achieved and surpassed this vision.
  Thank you, Ira, for your outstanding contribution to the enhancement 
of the lives of our south Florida residents.

                          ____________________