Last fall, Cleveland Clinic named Conor Delaney, M.D., Ph.D., as President and CEO of the Cleveland Clinic Florida region. Delaney oversees a region that includes five hospitals, a state-of-the-art research center and numerous outpatient centers located in five counties across Southeast Florida.

Delaney previously served as chairman of Cleveland Clinic’s Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute (DDSI), where he was responsible for the departments of Colorectal Surgery, Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Nutrition and General Surgery throughout Cleveland Clinic. The team performs 48,000 surgical cases and 90,000 endoscopic procedures per year.
 
“It was a mix of excitement and a privilege to be able to lead a team who were providing care to so many patients,” says Dr. Delaney. “I saw this new position as president and CEO as the next step in that journey and an opportunity to provide care to even more patients, particularly in Florida.”
 
Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital was named the No. 1 hospital in the Miami-Dade metropolitan area for the third year in a row, according to the 2020-2021 annual ranking of Best Hospitals by U.S. News and World Report. Weston Hospital also tied for the No.5 best hospital in Florida, while Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital tied for No. 19, and Cleveland Clinic Martin Health tied for No. 28. Last July, the Cleveland Clinic Florida Research and Innovation Center opened in Port St. Lucie. Established in November 2019, the new center will advance innovative translational research, focused on immuno-oncology and infectious diseases, including COVID-19.
 
Dr. Delaney sees a real opportunity to grow the Cleveland Clinic model of care and to provide it to more patients.
 
“We have amazing people here,” he says. “So coming down to lead them was exciting for me. Our mission is to bring more complex and more high-quality care to each community in Southeast Florida.”
 
At Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital, there are four primary cares of how they lead and drive the organization. The first and most important is, is care for patients, according to Dr. Delaney.
 
“Our short-term goals are to keep advancing our quality and our access to make it easier for patients to get in to see us, whether in person or virtually,” he says. “Another short term goal is for our caregivers by building our teams and bringing in even more talent to the teams we have and supporting them. This has been a really stressful time to be a caregiver and to be in healthcare.”
 
The third goal is for the communities in which they serve, notes Dr. Delaney.
 
“One of our important values is that we try and partner with the community that we’re in,” he says. “We are building on how we partner with each county and develop the health and wellness of our communities as well as use the experience we have around innovation, research and academics. That allows us to really drive the future of care.”
 
What distinguishes Cleveland Clinic, Florida from other healthcare systems in the state is that it has become a global leader and has recognized models of healthcare.
 
“That makes us a little different than many places,” says Dr. Delaney. “We’re absolutely patient centered and about patients first—focused on providing care with the patient as the center of care. We also have a really well-developed integration with the healthcare delivery system. That allows us to handle the most complex cases and yet also provide primary care. Finally, we have a really strong emphasis on research, education and innovation. We are able to use that to help us really develop the next level of care and the future of care and bring that level of expertise to the communities we serve.”
 
The ability to care for patients is what Dr. Delaney enjoys most about working in healthcare.
 
“That is what brought me to the field—and what I think brings most people in healthcare to the field. I also enjoy the opportunity to make patients better. In my previous position, whether it was colon, rectal cancer or Crohn’s disease, these are patients who have a really challenging diagnosis. I was lucky enough to be able to do surgical procedures to cure them or make them better.”
 
Dr. Delany adds that he’s been excited about the opportunity to lead the Cleveland Clinic Florida team.
 
“The clinic is really invested in Southeast Florida,” he says. “We’ve been here for 30 years and we bring particularly high quality patient centered care and look after everything from the most simple to the most complex conditions. I’m looking forward to continuing to contribute to our mission of providing patients access to Cleveland Clinic care.”


March 29 2021 – Miami Lighthouse for the Blind will celebrate the “topping-out” of its expanded facility with a ceremony on March 31st at 12PM unveiling its school’s new name, Miami Lighthouse Academy. In a multifaceted educational approach to serving students who are blind, the school which contains pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, first and second grades, is one component within the Miami Lighthouse’s Children’s Programs. Other Children’s Programs include Early Intervention for Blind Babies and services for elementary and middle school children during the summer, school holidays and Saturdays.
 
The “topping-out” ceremony pays homage to a long-held construction tradition marking the installation of the highest piece of structural steel on the new building’s fifth floor roof. Construction is expected to be completed in time to begin the new school year in August 2021.
 
Miami Lighthouse, located for nearly 90 years at what would become known as “Little Havana”, at 601 Southwest 8th Avenue on the Mary M. and Sash A. Spencer Campus, will host the “topping-out” ceremony in collaboration with Miller Construction Company and Wolfberg Alvarez Architects. The 30,000 sq. ft. expansion to the current 115,000 sq. ft. facility was made possible by private donations in response to challenge grants from local philanthropists. 
 
This classroom expansion will enable Miami Lighthouse Academy to have the capacity to teach blind kindergarten, first and second grade students in a highly accessible learning environment separate from their early learning Pre-school/Pre-kindergarten early learners. 
 
 
Blind and visually impaired children from communities throughout Miami-Dade learn side-by-side with their sighted classmates from the surrounding neighborhood, ages one through four enrolled in our 50/50 inclusive learning environment that has been recognized as a national model for inclusive learning. This unique learning initiative, in partnership with Miami-Dade County Public Schools, The Children’s Trust and the Early Learning Coalition of Miami Dade/Monroe, addresses a need identified by the U.S. Department of Education to support inclusion of children with disabilities and school readiness in a high quality learning environment. The Miami Lighthouse Academy has been designed as a safe, family centered program with a wide array of tactile experiences through which early learners explore the world around them in an accessible, engaging and fun way. 
 
Established in 1930 by Dolly Gamble with the aid of Helen Keller and support from the Miami Lions and Miami Rotary Clubs, Miami Lighthouse is the oldest and largest private agency in Florida assisting persons of all ages who are blind and visually impaired. Today, Miami Lighthouse annually transforms the lives of 90,000 blind and visually impaired people, babies to seniors, and their families. The impact of programs is statewide, national, and international. For more information about Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, visit MiamiLighthouse.org, or call 305-856-2288.


More than 500,000 patients in Florida depend on medical marijuana to help them deal with conditions ranging from epilepsy to PTSD to cancer. Yet two controversial proposals—House Bill 1455 and Senate Bill 1958—are currently making their way through the legislative process, which could change the efficacy of the medications that these patients receive.

These proposals, introduced by Rep. Spencer Roach and Sen. Ray Rodrigues respectively, would place a 10 percent THC cap on smokable marijuana, and limit THC levels in all other forms of cannabis except edibles, like concentrates and powders, to 60 percent. THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the main psychoactive component of marijuana. The bills also impose advertising restrictions on doctors who order cannabis for their patients.
 
These proposals are being roundly criticized by numerous groups ranging from physicians and patients to medical cannabis companies and advocacy groups.
 
“This has been a highly charged topic amongst all in the cannabis space; lower THC potency means patients would be forced to buy more, pay more, and use more product, all to achieve their current physician-recommended dosage,” said licensed medical marijuana dispensary Trulievein a prepared statement. “As these laws affect almost every single medical cannabis product, the market as it is today would not exist.”
 
According to Eric Stevens, advisor, Florida for Care, the proposal’s sponsors have not proven a case for the dangers of having more THC in cannabis products. The majority of products currently being used by patients contain approximately 16 to 26 percent THC.
 
“Their reasoning varies, but it is seemingly because they believe that some sort of additional damage is occurring because of these higher THC products,” he said. “While they’re claiming increased incidence of psychosis, when they discussed the bill on March 9, they could not come up with one episode in Florida’s 500,000 patients who have used medical marijuana in the past three years.”
 
This is not the first time that Republican legislators have tried to get this type of legislation passed. For the past two years, similar bills have moved through committees but died in the Senate.
 
“A good number of leaders who were in the House are now in the Senate, which is why they’ve brought the bill back again,” said Stevens. “When we heard that it would be coming back, we offered to provide them with information, but they have not invited one physician up to talk about what’s working or not. It’s interesting that there are no doctors speaking out in favor of this.”
 
Stevens adds that more than 200 doctors have signed a petition against the legislation.
 
The Patient Perspective
One of the main reasons that physicians, among others, are not supporting these policies is because of the negative effect that the proposals will have on patients.
 
“These bills place artificial caps on naturally occurring THC in cannabis and would affect nearly every medical cannabis product sold in Florida today, hurting patients instead of helping them,” said Trulieve. “We have fought these caps on behalf of patients each year it has been brought up, and we will continue to fight for patients.
 
“We have not seen any studies that recommend placing limits on THC potency,” the company added. “Lower potency means buying more, spending more, and even being forced to smoke or vape more, all to achieve the same doctor-recommended dosage that patients can find now.”
 
According to Florida Cares’ data, a 10 percent cap would result in an average price increase of between 50 percent and 150 percent for patients buying smokable flower, and THC caps would mean that patients would have to smoke between 50-150 percent more marijuana to achieve the same or similar medicinal effects.
 
“When you consider that a person has been using a product for multiple years that works, but now they have to find something else or use more and pay more, it’s frustrating,” said Stevens, adding that because these products aren’t covered by insurance, patients are paying out-of-pocket. “Only one or two products fall under the 10 percent THC category right now, which means that you’re asking for four years of research and development to be redone, not to mention that with that limited number of low-THC products, it’s going to be harder for dispensaries to keep it in stock.”
 
Having passed the Professionals & Public Health subcommittee March 9 and the Health Care
Appropriations subcommittee March 18, the proposal is now before the Health & Human Services committee, with a tentative decision scheduled for March 29. It must reach legislators in its final form before May 1 to receive a vote.
 
“Basically, that means that the proposals need to move through all committees by the first week of April in order to get the final version to the House and Senate,” said Stevens.
 
During this time, Florida for Care is continuing to push conversations about the proposals in Tallahassee in order to provide accurate, medically based information to the state’s legislators. It is also encouraging the public to sign a petition online against passage of these bills, which to date, has received more than 40,000 signatures.
 
“They need to understand that this is not what people want—that there are no positives to this approach,” Stevens said. “They need to stop creating the dialog that they want to hear.”


March 26 2021 – The Haitian-American Chamber of Florida held its annual membership meeting on March 25, 2021 and also held its board elections. The Chamber’s new board officers and board members promote the organization’s mission, provide financial oversight, ensure ethical and legal governance for the organization.
 
The Haitian-American Chamber Commerce of Florida is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Lumana Joseph, PT, DPT as Chairwoman of the Board of Directors. Dr. Joseph has served the Chamber first as board member, Treasurer and most recently as the vice-chairwoman and member of the Executive Committee. "I humbly accept the chairmanship position to lead the Haitian American Chamber of Commerce of Florida for the next two years. With a dynamic, and elite group of board of directors, I choose to continue to serve the chamber, the chamber members, and the greater Haitian American community at a higher capacity. It is with great honor that I take on this leadership role." stated Dr. Joseph. 
                                                              
Dr. Joseph is the president and CEO of Lumana Physical Therapy & Wellness Center, the company that she founded in 2011, which she built  on the fundamental belief that quality rehabilitation services can help restore optimal function and promote independence. Dr. Joseph is passionate about community services and giving back.
 
 
 
About HACCOF: 
   
The Haitian American Chamber of Commerce of Florida was established in 2005. Its mission is to serve as an advocate for its communities as well as a resource for consumers and businesses dedicated to serving both the needs of its members and the economic development needs of the broader Haitian American Community. The Haitian-American Chamber of Commerce also promotes investment and trade with the Haitian private and public sectors.
 


March 25, 2021 – Following a year of lockdowns and visitation restrictions for long-term care communities due to COVID-19, the Alzheimer’s Association is underlining the need for uniform and enhanced dementia training requirements for long-term care staff in Florida.
 
Michelle Branham, Alzheimer’s Association Florida region vice president of public policy, said: “Sitting on the governor’s Task Force for the Safe and Limited Reopening of Long-Term Care Facilities in Florida this past year, I received hundreds of emails and so many calls from constituents expressing concerns over the quality of care their loved ones with dementia were receiving. Knowing that more than 62 percent of those living in long-term care communities are living with dementia, we recognize that a significant enhancement of dementia training for direct care workers in these facilities is the most direct path to offering a higher level of quality care.” 
 
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than 6 million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer’s, and Florida has the second-highest prevalence of the disease in the nation with more than 580,000 diagnosed individuals. 
 
While noting that long-term care staff in Florida are currently required to undergo limited training for dementia care, Branham said many families are concerned that the current training is insufficient to cover the numerous challenges of caring for those with dementia.
 
“Alzheimer’s and dementia often present in symptoms and behaviors that can be difficult to understand and address for those who are inexperienced with dementia caregiving,” she said. “That’s why we are supporting legislation that would not only enhance the current training requirements but also create a uniform standard across the state to ensure that our vulnerable loved ones are receiving the best care for their specific needs.”
 
The legislation in question, House Bill 309/Senate Bill 634, would require one hour of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) training for new staff members at assisted living facilities, nursing homes, adult day cares, hospices and home health agencies. For all staff who provide direct care for residents in these facilities, the bill would also require at least three hours of dementia care training within the first four months of employment, and may require additional continuing education afterward.
Although the terms of the bill have been met with pushback from the long-term care industry, the Alzheimer’s Association is not alone in its concern over quality of care in such communities. For example, according to a new report released by AARP, 96 percent of Florida voters ages 50-plus agree that quality of care for those living in long-term care communities is either “extremely” or “very important.”
 
Noting that “maximizing quality care and support” is one of the primary goals of the Alzheimer’s Association, Branham said it is important that Florida families know their loved ones are being well cared for.
“It is a painful and difficult decision to place our loved ones’ lives into the care of others,” she said. “The best we can do to ensure they live with dignity and the support they need is to offer them a trained, capable and confident care team. These direct care workers do very important work that directly impacts the lives of others; therefore, they should have the best education available to deal with some very difficult situations.”
 
 
 
Alzheimer’s Association
The Alzheimer’s Association leads the way to end Alzheimer’s and all other dementia – by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer’s and all other dementia. Visit alz.org or call (800) 272-3900.