Dr. Jennifer Bencie set to address Manatee Healthcare Advisory Board
MANATEE -- After brainstorming about the county's medically underserved with Manatee hospital officials and non-profit health agencies over the past two months, the newly Formed Manatee Health Care Advisory Board will now swap ideas with the director of Manatee's Department of Health.
At 5 p.m. Wednesday, in an open-to-the public meeting, Dr. Jennifer Bencie, administrator for the Florida Department of Health in Manatee, will offer her opinions on the challenge of providing health care for Manatee County's underserved, said Cheri Coryea, the board's administrator and part of the county's Neighborhood Services department.
Bencie will address the board in the ninth floor conference room at the Manatee County Government Administrative Complex.
Wednesday will be the fourth meeting of the board,
which, at the first meeting, learned hospital contracts and physician payments for the underserved will total $5.2 million in 2016. That money is coming from general revenue as the county has yet to establish a revenue stream for serving the county's medically needy.
"Dr. Bencie will provide an overview of the services the health department offers and will include challenges to meet health care needs," Coryea said.
The board has been hearing from health leaders in the county for the past few months, with visits from Chief Executive Officer Kevin DiLallo of Manatee Memorial Hospital and Dan Friedrich, CEO of Blake Medical Center, in January and Adell Erozer of Turning Points and Victoria Kasdan of We Care Manatee in February.
"The group continues to gel as a team in knowledge and leadership of healthcare in Manatee County," Coryea said.
The board will also elect officers Wednesday, Coryea added.
Mike Meehan, a Manatee County citizen, addressed the Manatee County Healthcare Board in a prior meeting and said he will return Wednesday to talk more about making health care available to the under-served.
"I think we need to look at the hours that some of the health care providers are open and if they can be open later," Meehan said Sunday.
Meehan asked the board to check to make sure MCR Health Services' 14 locations correspond to the neediest areas of Manatee County, which have been reported to be West Samoset, South Bradenton, Samoset and Bayshore Gardens.
Meehan now seems satisfied that the locations do match up well with the neediest areas, but the hours of operation may not, Meehan contends.
Besides hearing from Bencie and Meehan, the group will discuss its role in the upcoming joint work session with the Manatee County Commissioners, Coryea said.
The work session, which will be the board's first official face-to-face meeting with commissioners to talk about the medically needy, is scheduled 3 p.m. March 29 in the fourth floor Manatee Room at the Manatee County Government Administrative Complex.
Richard Dymond, Herald reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7072 or contact him via Twitter@RichardDymond.
This story was originally published March 21, 2016 at 11:42 PM with the headline "Dr. Jennifer Bencie set to address Manatee Healthcare Advisory Board ."