Hello, South Florida!
Welcome to the premiere issue of South Florida Hospital News. To paraphrase Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca, we hope this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. South Florida Hospital News is a publication unique to our area. South Florida already boasts outstanding daily newspapers, community weeklies and business outlets. And now South Florida Hospital News enhances that continuum by occupying a niche as yet unfilled: we are a healthcare business newspaper dedicated to sharing good news and positive information about those individuals and organizations that make our industry second to none in the nation. The South Florida healthcare industry is vibrant but, like everywhere else, we face many challenges. Too often, we allow those challenges to overshadow all that is right about our work and the miracles, both large and small, that we perform each day. South Florida Hospital News intends to accentuate the positive and remind us of how important each and everyone of you are to the overall health of our community. Although we are South Florida Hospital News, we serve the continuum of care provided in our region, from physician practices and home care programs to clinics and major healthcare facilities and everything in between. Our circulation area encompasses a 5-county area including Broward, Palm Beach, Miami-Dade, Martin and Monroe. Our audience naturally includes physicians, nurses, staff, volunteers and board members. But we also reach legislators and other elected officials; corporate decision makers, including employee benefits managers and human resource professionals; healthcare-related industries, such as architectural, legal, financial and investment firms; and consumer-oriented businesses. Remember, each and every healthcare professional is also a consumer! South Florida Hospital News is new, but our publication is built on a firm foundation. We have a sister publication that has served the Pittsburgh market for nearly two decades and another in Chicago that premiered a little more than a year ago and is flourishing beyond expectations. Both newspapers found audiences eager to share a positive message about health care in their regions. We intend to do the same thing right here. But while we will model much of what we do on those two highly successful publications, South Florida Hospital News will retain an identity that is reflective of this region. Our community boasts a uniqueness unmatched anywhere in the country. Our blend of people, cultures and lifestyles make us one of the most diverse, attractive and exciting places anywhere. As we put this first issue of South Florida Hospital News to press, there are many people to thank, beginning with Harvey Kart, publisher of Western Pennsylvania Hospital News, a man whose positive attitude knows no bounds. I appreciate the faith Harvey and his wife Bernie have in us. I met the Karts through my son Josh, who had the good sense to marry their daughter Kristen. Josh and Kristen publish Chicago Hospital News and Im not too stubborn to admit that they have taught me much already about how to create a quality publication. A thank you also goes to my son Andrew, who never fails to pitch in when the need arises. Last but not least, I want to thank all those who share our vision for South Florida Hospital News. They include our advertisers, partners and sponsors, as well as those healthcare leaders who were willing to be interviewed for and featured in this premiere issue and everyone who took the time to provide us with information, photographs or articles. I appreciate the trust you have shown in us. I promise you our best effort every month. Our mission is to focus on all that is positive about the South Florida healthcare industry and to encourage young people in our area to consider careers in it. It is indeed one of the noblest paths they can follow. I hope you enjoy this premiere issue and see the value in reading South Florida Hospital News monthly. To ensure you receive your copy each month, please utilize the subscription form on page 55. We also need and encourage your feedback, and invite you to visit our Web site at www.southfloridahospitalnews.com. As co-publishers, my wife Carol and I thank you for your support and welcome aboard. I know were going to enjoy an incredible ride together.
Charles Felix
You can reach Charles Felix at sflahospitalnews@aol.com.
