ORLANDO, Fla. (October 27, 2023) -- Nemours Children’s Health, Florida this week hosted Jonathan Blum, Principal Deputy Administrator and Chief Operating Officer of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for a site visit and discussion on Medicaid and improving the pediatric health care workforce. The visit consisted of a tour of Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida and discussions about key pediatric health and workforce issues. Participants included CMS staff and Nemours Children’s Leadership, including Harold Mills, Chair, Nemours Foundation Board of Directors, Andrea Massey-Farrell, Chair, Board of Managers, Florida, and Nemours Children’s government and external affairs staff.
“This week’s visit underscored the importance of federal partnerships with agencies like CMS to ensure the needs of children and youth are kept at the forefront of federal policymaking,” said R. Lawrence Moss, MD, FACS, FAAP, President & CEO of Nemours Children’s Health. “Strengthening the pediatric health care workforce is critical to address children’s physical and mental health needs, now and into the future. We look forward to working with state and federal partners on policies that build and strengthen the pipeline of future health care leaders to ensure children’s hospitals like Nemours can fulfill their mission of creating the healthiest generations of children.”
“We were thrilled to host CMS for a tour of Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida and foster an important discussion on issues impacting children and youth health outcomes,” said Kara Odom Walker, MD, MPH, MSHS, Executive Vice President and Chief Population Officer, Nemours Children’s Health. “We are encouraged by the work CMS is leading to support states in implementing payment approaches to address social drivers of health and strengthen primary and behavioral health integration within state Medicaid programs. Nemours commends this important work and looks forward to engaging with CMS leaders further to more fully realize the potential in Medicaid to support whole child health.”
As part of the visit, Nemours executives participated in a series of health care roundtables with CMS, hosted by the University of Central Florida (UCF) College of Medicine. Martha McGill, President, Central Florida Region, Nemours Children’s Health, participated in a roundtable on healthcare workforce development with CMS and other healthcare leaders. Jim Loveless, Vice President, Chief Information Security Officer, Nemours Children’s Health, Jacksonville participated in a roundtable discussion focused on cybersecurity.
About Nemours Children's Health
Nemours Children’s Health is one of the nation’s largest multistate pediatric health systems, which includes two free-standing children's hospitals and a network of more than 70 primary and specialty care practices. Nemours Children's seeks to transform the health of children by adopting a holistic health model that utilizes innovative, safe, and high-quality care, while also caring for the health of the whole child beyond medicine. Nemours Children's also powers the world’s most-visited website for information on the health of children and teens, Nemours KidsHealth.org.
The Nemours Foundation, established through the legacy and philanthropy of Alfred I. duPont, provides pediatric clinical care, research, education, advocacy, and prevention programs to the children, families, and communities it serves. For more information, visit Nemours.org.
Media Contact: Che Parker, Che.Parker@nemours.org or (703) 963-0646.
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