Miami-Dade Health Action Network Strives to Improve Access for Uninsured and Underinsured

In the spring of 2008, the Miami-Dade County Health Department, in partnership with the Health Council of South Florida and Florida State Representative Carlos Zapata, convened a number of community stakeholders to address healthcare access for the uninsured.  

As a result of this meeting, the Miami-Dade Health Action Network (MD-HAN) was formed shortly after, in May 2008 with the nomination of six Steering Committee members and four Ad Hoc Members. The MD-HAN is a partnership of free clinics, hospitals, federally qualified health centers, universities, and non-profit service organizations that provide both specialized and primary care services to the uninsured residents of Miami-Dade.

This volunteer Network functions in a collaborative manner to develop an integrated, sustainable, and comprehensive system that will work on increasing access to primary health care for the uninsured residents of Miami-Dade County. The MD-HAN envisions accomplishing this significant goal by facilitating the efficient sharing of health information; the implementation and use of an effective county-wide referral system; and the provision of continual, managed, and coordinated care through a medical home.

Since its inception, the MD-HAN has cultivated partnerships, through its membership, that has secured funding and leveraged resources in order to improve access to and quality of health services in the Miami-Dade community.

One example includes the securing of State of Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) funding for the establishment of an electronic health record (EHR) system in two free clinics in Miami-Dade County who are members of the MD-HAN. This new system harnesses the power of EHR towards improving the delivery of primary care for the uninsured population thorough coordinated care, and thereby improves health outcomes and reduces community-wide health costs. 

The successful implantation of this system was accomplished through the commitment of MD-HAN members to work collectively in connect resources and efforts.  This integrated approach included the grant procurement and facilitation by the Miami-Dade County Health Department, program evaluation by Florida International University, and the provision of the EHR system by Health Choice Network.

The MD-HAN is working in partnership to fulfill its goal to improve access to care for the uninsured and underinsured through a coordinated and efficient system. If you are interested in obtaining more information about the MD-HAN or participate in meetings, please contact Jersey Garcia at jgarcia@healthcouncil.org.