Humana Medicare Advantage HMO members residing in Dade and Palm Beach counties are now eligible to receive 10 meals delivered to their homes following a hospital stay. This meal delivery program is a result of the expansion of an exclusive partnership between Humana (NYSE:HUM) and the Meals On Wheels Association of America Foundation (MOWAAF).

Humana announced the partnership with Meals on Wheels in January 2006 through the formation of the FeelGoodFood Project in select areas, including Broward, Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee and Hernando counties in Florida.

In addition to program newcomers Dade and Palm Beach counties, the 2007 expansion in Florida will include Flagler, Volusia, Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Lake, Marion, Sumter, Baker, Duval, Nassau, St. Johns and Putnam counties. Expansion outside of Florida will be in select areas of Arizona, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri and Texas.

Delivered meals include prepared frozen entrées with vegetables as well as an assortment of other items such as juices, fruit cups, healthy dessert snacks and bread delivered by local Meals on Wheels programs to the Humana member’s home or requested location within the Humana service area. Members may select between diabetic, kosher, and low-sodium meal types.

“There was significant optimism about the FeelGoodFood pilot, and it has accomplished more than what was initially hoped for,” said Gail Miller, vice president, strategy and product management, senior products, Humana. “In addition to what we believed we would see – the improved nutrition of Humana Medicare members after a hospital stay – we’ve also witnessed the benefits of our members’ interaction with Meals On Wheels volunteers who put them in touch with vital resources such as food stamps and transportation to physicians’ offices, pharmacies, and senior dining sites,” she added.

As of Dec. 15, 2006, more than 38,000 meals had been served to more than 3,800 Humana Medicare Advantage LPPO and HMO members.



The South Florida Healthcare Executive Forum’s Annual Installation Dinner of its 2007 Board of Directors was recently held at the Miami Beach Resort and Spa. The evening’s guest speaker was Brigadier General David A. Rubenstein, FACHE, Commanding General, European Regional Medical Command, U.S. Army, and recognized by Modern Healthcare as one of the “100 Most Influential People in Healthcare.” Special recognition was given to Marvin O’Quinn, President of the Public Health Trust and CEO of Jackson Health System. Over 125 healthcare professionals attended the event.

Photo credit: Elite Photo – Alan Krame

SFHEF 2007 Board of Directors are President, Henry Thompson; President Elect, Noel Christian Pace; Past President, Alex Johnson; Treasurer, Larry Bobo; Treasurer Elect, Francis Afram-Gyening; Membership Chair, Charles Felix; Membership Chair Elect, Stuart Podolnick; Program Chair, Jorge Carballo: Program Chair Elect, Marina Freedman; Networking Chair, Marco Carrasco; Networking Chair Elect, Simone Fishley; Communications Chair, Nancy Borkowski; Communications Chair Elect, Ruth Hernandez; Members-at-Large, Michelle Marsh, Kevin Fine, Barbara Ann Perez; Sandra Vazquez, Micol Weigandt.



In celebration of its expansion and acquisition of Parkway Regional Medical Center, the Public Health Trust recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to welcome Parkway employees and patients into the Jackson Health System family. The Public Health Trust officially took ownership of Parkway on December 17th and renamed it Jackson North Medical Center.

“The addition of Jackson North to the Public Health System’s network of hospitals, clinics and centers enables us to better serve the residents of Miami-Dade County, especially north Miami-Dade residents who can now get Jackson quality care in their own backyards,” said Marvin O’Quinn, president and CEO of the Public Health Trust and Jackson Health System. “With this expansion we are also welcoming new employees to Jackson. We are proud to welcome them into our family.”



Arnon Krongrad, M.D., Prostate Cancer Surgeon, with Aventura Hospital and Medical Center has been appointed to founding Medical Advisor to the not-for-profit American Prostate Cancer Initiative.

The appointment by APCI recognizes Dr. Krongrad’s history of innovation. In 1996, Dr. Krongrad and colleagues published the first dietary cancer prevention trial with selenium. Dr. Krongrad has formed clinical care models that uniquely combined urology, radiation oncology, and psychiatry. In 1999, Dr. Krongrad and colleagues published a Technical Manual on a revolutionary form of prostate cancer surgery, laparoscopic radical prostatectomy, which profoundly reduces pain and bleeding.



Palmetto General Hospital officials recently joined together to congratulate help desk technician Milton Rey, who was recently named 2006 Employee of the Year. The honor is jointly presented by the Employee Satisfaction Team and the hospital administration. Rey was nominated by his peers for always being cheerful, helpful and accessible in assisting staff with computer and other technical issues and was chosen as Employee of the Year from among the previous Employee of the Month winners.

(l-r): Oscar Vicente, chief financial officer; Ana Gonzalez-Fajardo, director of human resources; Alex Contreras-Soto, chief operating officer; Ricardo Machado, M.D., chairman of the Governing Board; Jose Gamez, M.D., chief of staff; Ben A. Rodriguez, chief nursing officer; Milton Rey, help desk technician; and Ana Mederos, chief executive officer.