In an effort to reflect the magnitude of its experience and commitment to Broward County, The North Broward Hospital District is shedding its government-imposed name in favor of a name which truly reflects its mission. The North Broward Hospital District is now Broward Health (with North Broward Hospital District remaining the legal name for tax millage notices, Board of Commissioners action, etc.). "Our new name is a symbol of what a healthcare system should be," said Broward Health President/CEO Alan Levine. "It is grounded in our community - Broward, and is fundamentally focused on the one thing most important to all of us - our health and the health of those we love."

In the past year, Broward Health has embarked on many changes. More than $60 million has been committed to help bring the best cancer-fighting technology to Broward County as well as build new Emergency Departments at Imperial Point Medical Center and Coral Springs Medical Center. Better financial performance has led to higher bond ratings by Moody's and Standard and Poor. Broward Health has also been recognized nationally for its excellence in healthcare. The implementation of a best-practice compliance program is helping to ensure only the highest levels of integrity guide the health decisions and clinical practices of the system.

In a conversation with The Broward Alliance, Mr. Levine talked about how Broward Health is an integrated health system working to meet the needs of the business community and employees in South Florida. "If you're a business owner, you want to know your employees will be well served," stated Levine. "Somewhere in our system, we can take care of any health care needs of a company's employees. We are more than a hospital district and we want to earn the private paying business. To do that, we have to be better than our competitors. We're not going to behave like a public system. We're going to behave like a competitive system."

This is a good strategy for taxpayers, according to Levine. "The more business we earn, the less we have to rely on taxes." In fact, recently, for the fourth year in a row, the North Broward Hospital District Board of Commissioners approved a substantial cut to the rate that determines how much property owners pay to support the hospital system. The new tax rate of $1.6255 per $1,000 of taxable property value is the lowest since 1982. One of the goals of our Board and administration is to reduce dependence on property taxes, according to Levine. If a Broward resident is paying taxes to support the healthcare system, they should also want to use the services of the system and know they are getting the best care possible. "The health and welfare of Broward County residents is our most important mission. It's our obligation to do everything we can to help keep costs down for them and for all we serve," said Levine.

"The strength of Broward Health is the experience of the nearly 2,000 physicians and 8,000 dedicated professionals who dedicate themselves every day to delivering world class health care," said Levine. "Our new name is simply reflective of the incredible miracles performed all over Broward County. From our trauma centers, our Heart Center of Excellence, and our Comprehensive Cancer Centers to the Friday night high school football fields and the foster care programs for children, Broward Health is improving lives in Broward County. The collective strength of its talented network of physicians, technologically superior facilities and an expanding array of healthcare services available at its hospitals, health centers, physician practices and home health services makes Broward Health one of the most experienced names in healthcare." With a low vacancy rate of only 5% in nursing, Broward Health has done a very good job retaining its staff. It maintains a low nurse/patient ratio that is better than most of its competitors. One of the company's challenges in the future is to continue to attract and retain the best talent, Levine added.

Broward Health, providing service for more than 50 years, is a nationally recognized community health system offering world class health care services in South Florida. One of the five largest public health systems in the nation, Broward Health operates more than 30 healthcare facilities, including Broward General Medical Center, North Broward Medical Center, Imperial Point Medical Center, Coral Springs Medical Center, the Chris Evert Children's Hospital, Weston Regional HealthPark, Community Health Services and Broward Health Physician Group. For more information, visit www.BrowardHealth.org.