Dear Friends, 

Greetings and best wishes to you and your families for a fantastic holiday season!

We’d like to thank everyone in our community who supported us so generously during our best Give Miami Day yet, where we raised $132,500 in 24 hours! Every dollar counts, and your donations are the ultimate investment in the health of our community. Our team at Jackson Health Foundation is proud to be a part of improving access to health care in South Florida as we look forward to the future!

We hope you enjoy this December newsletter, where we highlight Jackson’s incredible growth through the years. In addition, you’ll find more information and donor highlights. As we look toward the new year, we are excited for our Golden Angels Gala on January 29 at Soho Studios, one of the premiere social events of the season.

In this season of giving, we hope you consider Jackson. Keep an eye out for our year end campaign letter in your mailbox or inbox. We invite you to make a donation by clicking here. We thank you in advance and hope you have a lovely holiday season!

Sincerely,
Charmaine Gatlin
Co-President & Chief Operating Officer
Flavia Llizo
Co-President & Chief Development Officer
Jackson: Renovations Through the Years
In 2013, Jackson Health System’s $830 million bond to renovate Jackson’s facilities was approved. Jackson’s promise was to expand its footprint deeper into the communities it serves – making the system’s high-quality care easier to access for people throughout Miami-Dade County.

Now, eight years later, Jackson’s capital plan has exceeded expectations. Dozens of projects – large and small – have been completed throughout the health system. New facilities have been built, and smart investments in the latest technology and equipment have been made.

“In record time, we have turned our dream into a reality with projects spanning across the health system, touching every Jackson location, and reaching into communities throughout Miami-Dade County,” said Jackson Health System CEO Carlos A. Migoya. “By the end of 2022, we will have exhausted the $830 million bond, and the majority of the $1.8 billion for our capital plan.” 

Major construction renovations have transformed many patient units at Jackson’s hospitals over the last few years– Jackson Memorial Hospital, Jackson South Medical Center, Jackson North Medical Center, and Holtz Children’s Hospital.  
In February 2020, the Christine E. Lynn Rehabilitation Center for The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at UHealth/Jackson Memorial opened its doors, uniting world-class researchers, physicians, and Jackson therapists under one roof to provide our patients with care to help them get their lives back after traumatic brain injuries, strokes, spinal cord injuries, and cancer. Another major project recently completed is the UHealth Jackson Critical Care Pavilion, a three-story tower above the Diagnostic Treatment Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital. As Jackson continues to grow surgical services like transplant, neurosurgery, and heart surgery, this facility will help meet the needs of additional intensive care beds. 
By far the biggest and most complex project in our capital plan, José Milton Memorial Hospital at Jackson West Medical Center – which opened to patients in August 2021 – is a game changer for people who live in communities in west Miami-Dade. The vision for the new campus, which features José Milton Memorial Hospital, was to expand Jackson’s world-class medical care into some of the county’s fastest-growing residential and commercial communities.

Residents in these neighborhoods, including Doral, Westchester, Sweetwater, Hialeah and Miami Lakes – all of whom help fund Jackson’s mission – would for the first time have access to Jackson’s services closer to where they live, work, and play.

“Jackson is proud to show our patients, employees, and taxpayer-owners the ways in which we’re honoring our promise to the community,” Migoya said. “Now in our 104th year of care, Jackson has proven its care is unmatched, and now we have facilities that are more attractive, more accessible, and more competitive.”

Jackson is proud to be continually earning its reputation as one of the nation’s top academic medical centers while serving its century-old mission of providing a single standard of care for every Miami-Dade resident. 
'Tis the Season of Giving
It's a special time of year not just for holiday cheer, but to support causes close to your heart. Supporting us is the ultimate investment in the health of our shared community. As the year comes to a close, consider making a year-end philanthropic gift to support Jackson Health System. Make your tax-deductible gift before the end of the year by visiting us online or by clicking the photo below.
Golden Angels Gala - The Countdown is On!
January 29, 2022
The 2022 Golden Angels Gala will be held at Soho Studios, 2136 NW 1st Ave, Miami, FL 33127. Considered one of the most glamorous social events of the season, the Golden Angels Gala brings community leaders, corporate partners, and philanthropists together to support the Jackson Health Foundation’s Miracle Fund. For more information, contact Beatriz Galan, Senior Director of Major Gifts, at [email protected].
Donor Highlight:
The Pick Family
Jackson Health Foundation is incredibly grateful to the Pick Family for their generous contribution toward the Miami Transplant Institute (MTI). Nicholas A. Pick received a liver transplant at MTI almost two years ago. His health was deteriorating rapidly and his only hope for survival was a transplant. “We are forever grateful to the gifted and talented transplant team and for the generosity of the donor family,” says Nicholas’ wife, Ellyn G. Pick. The entire team of surgeons, hepatologists, nurses, dieticians, social workers and others guided the Pick family through this miracle of recovery. Two years after Nicholas’ life was changed at MTI, the family contacted the Foundation to make a gift. We are so grateful for Nicholas’ incredible recovery, as well as the Pick family’s generous sponsorship. "This is our way to help future patients and their families experience the same miracle of recovery as we did,” says Ellyn.

A million thanks, Pick family! 
Sponsor Spotlight:
Humana
Jackson Health Foundation is beyond grateful for donors like Humana Inc. Health and wellness is at the core of everything they do, making them ideal partners for Jackson. Through their continued support, we are able to provide our patients and their families with a quiet space for reflection and meditation. The Tranquility Room at José Milton Memorial Hospital at Jackson West Medical Center will be dedicated in the weeks to come thanks to Humana Inc.’s ongoing dedication to working with Jackson and the patients we serve. We are grateful for Humana Inc. and their shared vision of making miracles happen at Jackson.
Bring Joy to a Child This Season With
Our Holiday Toy Drive!
Did you know that you can send a gift to the pediatric patients? Toys and gifts help our pediatric patients enormously while they are in the hospital, especially since COVID restrictions have limited their ability to visit our playrooms.
 
Easily browse through the comprehensive listing of our patients’ favorite toys and send cheer right to their door. Check it out here!
 
You can also support the children in our health system by making a financial contribution to our Holiday Toy Drive, which allows us to purchase highly requested items for our pediatric patients. To make a secure donation online, please click here to donate and make a difference today!

Last, but certainly not least, you can also donate new and unwrapped toys or gift cards to spread the joy of the holidays. Contact [email protected] for more details or to schedule a drop-off.
Miracle Story:
Cassandra Hirsch
In September 2020, Cassandra Hirsh was at home getting ready for work when she fell down the stairs and suffered a catastrophic injury. 

“It happened in the blink of an eye,” the 68-year-old said. “I can’t remember how I fell. I was standing at the top step, and then suddenly, I was on the ground in unimaginable pain.”

After discovering Hirsh laying on the ground, immobile, her husband frantically called 911. Fire rescue rushed her to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson South Medical Center. A CT scan confirmed that Hirsh had a broken neck and an incomplete spinal cord injury. She was assessed by Ian Cote, MD, a UHealth – University of Miami Health System neurosurgeon who specializes in spine surgery. To alleviate the pressure on her spinal cord, Dr. Cote performed a complex cervical fusion surgery. The type of injury Hirsh sustained was rare, and if her medical team had not acted as quickly as they did, Hirsh could have experienced permanent paralysis.

“When Cassandra came to the trauma unit, she had incomplete paralysis in her upper and lower extremities,” Dr. Cote said. “But the surgery went great, and her body responded well to the procedure.”

Following the successful surgery, Hirsh required physical rehabilitation to help her get back on her feet. She chose Christine E. Lynn Rehabilitation Center for The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at UHealth/Jackson Memorial for its state-of-the-art facility, expert medical team, and commitment to including family in the patient’s rehabilitation and recovery process. Hirsh was discharged just before Christmas 2020 and was able to spend the holidays at home with her family.

After completing outpatient physical and occupational therapy, she’s thrilled with the progress she has made. Hirsh has regained most of the function in her right hand and is still working on regaining all of the strength in her right leg.

“I’m so thankful for the staff at Jackson South and at Lynn Rehab,” Hirsh said. “All of my doctors and nurses were phenomenal throughout my recovery process. I wouldn’t have progressed as quickly as I did if I didn’t have an incredible surgeon and if I wasn’t receiving great care.”
Give Miami Day
Thank You For A Record-Breaking Year
Each year, the Miami Foundation hosts Give Miami Day, one of the nation's biggest 24-hour annual giving events. During this year's online campaign on November 18, the Jackson Health Foundation shattered all of its previous records, receiving $132,500 in donations. The support and generosity of all who gave is a powerful statement of the importance of Jackson to our community. We are beaming with pride and gratitude for the incredible generosity of our compassionate donors, whose contributions will help support technology, infrastructure and programmatic needs throughout our health system. We thank you!