Florida Senate - 2013 (NP) SR 1786
By Senator Flores
37-02483-13 20131786__
1 Senate Resolution
2 A resolution recognizing the Herbert Wertheim College
3 of Medicine at Florida International University.
4
5 WHEREAS, in March 2006, the State University System Board
6 of Governors approved the creation of a new medical school at
7 Florida International University in Miami and, in May 2006, the
8 Legislature approved and Governor Jeb Bush signed into law
9 legislation establishing the new medical school, and
10 WHEREAS, later that year, after considering many
11 outstanding applicants, Florida International University
12 selected John A. Rock, M.D., as the founding dean of the new
13 medical school, and
14 WHEREAS, in 2007, Dean Rock recruited a stellar team, which
15 included Executive Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Joe Leigh
16 Simpson, Executive Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs J.
17 Patrick O’Leary, and Executive Associate Dean for Student
18 Affairs Sanford M. Markham, to develop an operational plan,
19 which was accepted by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education
20 (LCME), and
21 WHEREAS, in February 2008, the medical school won
22 preliminary accreditation, which allowed the school to recruit
23 medical students, and, on May 28, 2008, received a $10 million
24 donation from Benjamin León, Jr., and his family to establish
25 the Benjamin León Jr. Family Center for Geriatric Research and
26 Education, and
27 WHEREAS, in 2009, as the new medical school received its
28 first class of students, Herbert A. Wertheim, the founding
29 chairman of the College of Medicine and trustee emeritus of
30 Florida International University, donated $20 million to the
31 medical school, which is named in his honor, and
32 WHEREAS, in 2010, the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine
33 received its second class of students, and
34 WHEREAS, Green Family Foundation NeighborhoodHELP (Health
35 Education Learning Program), an innovative curriculum that is a
36 model for new medical schools across the nation, has been
37 recognized by the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine as its
38 signature educational program because of its unwavering
39 commitment to serving the community and educating future
40 physicians to improve the health and quality of life of all
41 Floridians, and
42 WHEREAS, in Green Family Foundation NeighborhoodHELP,
43 medical students are expertly trained in the nonbiological
44 causes of disease, ethics, cultural competency,
45 interdisciplinary teamwork, and the social determinants of
46 health which affect disease and health care outcomes of
47 individuals and communities, and
48 WHEREAS, through Green Family Foundation NeighborhoodHELP,
49 teams of medical, nursing, social work, and law students from
50 Florida International University take responsibility for
51 individuals in medically underserved households in Miami-Dade
52 County to identify and respond to critical health and social
53 needs, and
54 WHEREAS, in 2011, the LCME assessed the progress of the
55 Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine and granted it provisional
56 accreditation, after which it received its third class of
57 students, and
58 WHEREAS, in 2012, the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine
59 received its fourth class of students and underwent its third
60 assessment by the LCME, and
61 WHEREAS, on February 7, 2013, the Herbert Wertheim College
62 of Medicine was awarded full accreditation by the LCME, and, on
63 April 29, 2013, will graduate its first class of physicians
64 receiving a Doctor of Medicine Degree, and
65 WHEREAS, it is projected that the Herbert Wertheim College
66 of Medicine will have a cumulative economic impact on this state
67 of about $4.3 billion in the 10-year period from 2008 to 2018,
68 and
69 WHEREAS, by 2025, the annual economic impact of the Herbert
70 Wertheim College of Medicine is projected to reach between $1.2
71 billion and $1.5 billion, and is projected to create at least
72 12,500 jobs and generate about $70 million in total tax revenue,
73 a return of $3 for every dollar invested in the program by the
74 State of Florida, and
75 WHEREAS, this economic return does not fully reflect the
76 improved quality of life of South Floridians as a direct result
77 of the efforts of the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine to
78 make available quality health care, NOW, THEREFORE,
79
80 Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
81
82 That we recognize the outstanding accomplishments of the
83 Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine at Florida International
84 University and celebrate its full accreditation by the Liaison
85 Committee on Medical Education.
86 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution, with
87 the Seal of the Senate affixed, be presented to John A. Rock,
88 M.D., Dean of the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine at
89 Florida International University, as a tangible token of the
90 sentiments of the Florida Senate.