Latest news with #JacksonHealthSystem
Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
Atlanta man accused of scheming with Jackson exec to bilk millions faces conspiracy charge
A businessman accused of playing a key supporting role in an elaborate scheme to bilk millions of dollars from the fundraising arm of Jackson Health System faces a conspiracy charge on Tuesday in Miami federal court. Yergan Jones, who heads an audio visual company in Atlanta, is the latest person to be charged in the alleged conspiracy with Charmaine Gatlin, the former chief operating officer of Jackson Health Foundation, which raises money for Miami-Dade County's public hospital system. Authorities say Gatlin, 52, and Jones, 62, falsified invoices to make it look like Jones' business, American Sound Design, provided about $2 million in purported services for fundraising events that were paid for by Jackson Health Foundation. Jones and his company kept half of the Foundation's payments and kicked back the other $1 million to Gatlin — money that the former Weston resident spent on Louis Vuitton and Gucci handbags and other luxury goods, court records show. Jones' defense attorney, Hector Flores, declined to comment. The fact that Jones has been charged by an information and not a grand jury indictment indicates that he's cooperating with federal prosecutors and eventually plans to plead guilty to the single conspiracy charge, which carries up to five years in prison. Gatlin's defense lawyer, David Howard, also declined to comment. Gatlin pleaded not guilty to multiple conspiracy and fraud charges in June in Miami federal court. But sources familiar with her case say she's planning to change her plea to guilty in a deal with prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney's Office. Prosecutors say Jones, Gatlin and others schemed to 'unlawfully enrich themselves' by submitting 'false and fraudulent invoices' to the Jackson Health Foundation 'for goods and services that were not provided to the Foundation, did not benefit the Foundation, and benefitted themselves instead of the Foundation.' In one exchange, Gatlin contacted Jones from her personal email on Jan. 8, 2024, telling him to increase his bill for audiovisual equipment at Jackson's 'Holiday Parties' to $58,477, according to the information charging Jones. A week later, Gatlin wired that same amount to the bank account of Jones' company, ASD, the information says. That same day, Jones wired a kickback of about $25,000 to Gatilin's personal bank account — then, a few days later, Jones made a $20,000 payment on his American Express card using the Jackson funds. 'To conceal the kickbacks,' the information says, they 'created false invoices making it appear as though Gatlin did 'event management' for ASD events' at Jackson Health System or the Foundation. Atlanta Connection Before Jackson Health System officials learned of the alleged scheme, Gatlin was making about $300,000 as the Foundation's chief operating officer and was well on her way to becoming its top executive. But in late October, she was put on paid administrative leave while an internal investigation 'related to potential misconduct' got underway. In early November, she was 'terminated for cause' by the Foundation's chairman. Her termination letter, obtained by the Miami Herald, did not elaborate. Jackson officials alerted the FBI and federal prosecutors. In May, Gatlin, a Foundation executive over the past decade, was arrested on charges of fleecing $3.6 million from her former employer, fabricating fake invoices from vendors including Jones and receiving kickbacks from them. Her alleged defrauding of the Jackson Health Foundation, however, extended well beyond Miami, according to an indictment. It stretched all the way to Atlanta, where an unnamed 'audiovisual company' and a 'co-conspirator' suspected of collaborating with Gatlin submitted $2 million in 'false and fraudulent' invoices to the Foundation for purported services that were instead provided to a civic organization in Georgia's capital, the indictment says. While the indictment doesn't identify the company or the co-conspirator, the Herald learned last month from multiple sources that Gatlin allegedly schemed with Jones, the CEO of American Sound Design in Atlanta. Public records obtained by the Herald show Jones' company submitted dozens of invoices to the Jackson Health Foundation that Gatlin approved between 2019 and 2024. The indictment alleges the company's invoices were for 'audiovisual services that did not occur' at Jackson Health System or the Foundation. Instead, the Herald confirmed those services were provided by Jones' company to the civic organization in Atlanta, which is 100 Black Men of America, with chapters nationwide including South Florida. 'On at least one occasion, Jones provided services to [100 Black Men of America], but Jones and Gatlin made it appear on the invoice as though the services were being provided to the Foundation,' says the information charging Jones, which didn't include details of the charges. In a statement, the 100 Black Men of America said it was not aware of Gatlin's alleged kickback scheme with Jones and his audiovisual company, including billing the Jackson Health Foundation for services that his firm instead provided to the Atlanta organization. Jones provided those services to the youth mentoring group for its annual conferences between 2019 and 2024 under a different audiovisual company, American Electronic Entertainment, 100 Black Men of America confirmed. In fact, 100 Black Men of America said it directly paid Jones' company more than $500,000 for his work, but the organization did not provide details of the payments. '100 Black Men of America, Inc. has no knowledge of Ms. Gatlin's alleged receipt of cash payments or fraudulent invoices being submitted by Ms. Gatlin or any other vendors in the indictment involving Jackson Health Foundation,' the organization said in the statement provided to the Herald, adding that 'Gatlin has never been paid by the 100 BMOA as a 'go-between' to then pay vendors for services provided to 100 BMOA.' Gatlin had worked for 100 Black Men of America from 2009 to 2014 before Jackson's Foundation hired her a decade ago. During her tenure at Jackson, she continued to work with the Atlanta organization as an unpaid volunteer. After the Foundation dismissed Gatlin last November, 100 Black Men of America hired her in January as a contractor for its annual conference in 2025 —but fired her in May when the organization said it learned about her indictment. 'We are fully cooperating with law enforcement and will continue to do so until this matter is concluded,' the organization said. Follow the Money Gatlin, a University of Florida graduate with a bachelor's degree in French, was arrested on May 21 in a town near Savannah where she now lives. The indictment, filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Young, charged her with a single count of conspiring with other individuals to commit wire fraud, 26 counts of wire fraud and five counts of money laundering. If convicted, the charges carry sentences that could send her to prison for years. Gatlin is accused of authorizing Jackson Health Foundation funds to pay not only Jones' audiovisual company in Atlanta but also a store that sold designer goods and an event planning company in South Florida that created videos, a website and other services for a family member's softball team in Broward County, the indictment says. She's also accused of using the Foundation's money to buy school supplies that were delivered to a church in Riceboro, Georgia, where she lives with her husband. After her arrest, Gatlin was granted a $30,000 bond. Court records show that one of the conditions of her bond was not to contact four contractors, including Jones, who 'were paid' by the Jackson Health Foundation based on 'purported invoices for goods and services approved by' Gatlin, according to the indictment. By far, Gatlin's dealings with Jones dominated her alleged criminal activity, the Herald has learned from sources and court records. Financial documents obtained by the Herald show that Jones' company, American Sound Design, submitted about 40 invoices to the Foundation that Gatlin approved between 2019 and 2024 for services that his firm says were provided to the Jackson Health Foundation. But Jones is better known as the president of AEE Productions, which on its website claims to have done business for major corporations, such as Coca-Cola, Delta Airlines and Walmart, along with NASCAR and 100 Black Men of America. The Jackson Health Foundation was also one of its clients, according to a testimonial by Gatlin. 'Working with AEE Productions is always an exciting time for me. They listen to my ideas and help me create 'the wow' that I am looking for during each event,' reads an online testimonial by Gatlin on AEE Productions' website. 'I have been working with Yergan and his team for over 15 years and each event is better than the last one. Financial records obtained by the Herald show the Jackson Health Foundation received millions of dollars worth of invoices ranging from $5,900 to $81,500 each from Jones' company. American Sound Design claimed in those bills that it provided lighting, sound, staging and production management services for events at Jackson Health System or the Foundation, the invoices show. But the Gatlin indictment says that Jones' company, though not identified by name, never provided any of these services. It's unclear from the indictment how many of these events hosted by the Foundation even took place.
Miami Herald
23-07-2025
- Health
- Miami Herald
Heart disease forecast to rise in South Florida. Here's what one hospital is doing
Miami-Dade's public hospital system expects more people in South Florida to have heart problems within the next decade. And the need for more specialized cardiovascular care has become particularly apparent in southern Miami-Dade, a swath of the county that is underserved. Jackson South, a public hospital that has been steadily expanding its cardiac care services through the years, expects to see a 12% increase in cardiovascular disease and a 60% increase in heart valve disease over the next decade or so in the surrounding area, according to Edward Borrego, the senior vice president and CEO of Jackson South and Jackson West. On Tuesday, doctors and executives unveiled Jackson South's newly renovated catheterization lab, where doctors will treat heart and vascular conditions, implant pacemakers and perform other minimally invasive procedures. The renovation is part of the hospital's push to expand cardiology and other high-demand services as it seeks to address the 'huge need in this community for cardiology and cardiothoracic' care, longtime Jackson Health System CEO Carlos Migoya told a crowd of doctors and Jackson executives during the unit's ribbon-cutting ceremony. Dr. Hari Mallidi, the chief of cardiac surgery and director of the Jackson Heart Institute, attributes the expected rise in demand for cardiac care in the community to Miami-Dade's rapidly aging population and the difficulties some people may have getting timely access to care. He said the hospital serves a population of mainly immigrants, a group that may not always seek or have access to preventative or early care until their condition advances and they become sicker. Doctors consistently say that income, housing, food insecurity, insurance status, transportation and other factors in a person's life can impact a person's health and their ability to access care. Jackson expands cardiac care Jackson South, located at 9333 SW 152nd St., is part of the county's public hospital system and primarily serves patients who live in Perrine, Richmond Heights, Palmetto Bay, Cutler Bay and other parts of southern Miami-Dade. Jackson Health System serves as a safety net for Miami-Dade County and provides care to everyone, regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay. Inside the new lab, doctors will use tech that will let them reconstruct 3D models of a patient's cardiovascular system, as well as the Canon Alphenix Core, a new imaging system that uses X-ray tech to create high-definition images that will help doctors perform minimally invasive procedures with more precision for heart and vascular conditions. Jackson also added more exam rooms for patients in a neighboring building, increasing the available rooms from eight to 18, with an exam area created to focus on conducting stress echo testing, which assesses how well the heart functions when beating fast. Jackson Health says the new lab will 'significantly expand Jackson South's cardiac and vascular capabilities from basic diagnostics and interventions to advanced vascular interventions, comprehensive interventional radiology services, and complex cardiovascular treatments.' It expects to be able to care for more patients and is estimating a 25% increase in its 'outpatient capacity, which will include cardiovascular and interventional radiology procedures.' Some core members of Jackson's heart team will be rotating between the Miami Transplant Institute, located at Jackson's main Miami campus, and Jackson South to provide care to patients. That includes Mallidi, the chief of cardiac surgery and director of the Jackson Heart Institute; Dr. Osama Haddad, associate medical director of the Jackson Heart Institute; and Dr. Farhang Yazdchi, director of aortic surgery. 'This facility not only represents a significant investment in our infrastructure but also stands as a testament of our commitment to advancing cardiovascular care for our community,' said Dr. Juan Zambrano, director of cardiovascular medicine at Jackson South Medical Center. Plans are currently in the works to renovate the hospital's second cath lab, too. Jackson South's cardiac expansion comes on the heels of an upcoming closure of the hospital's labor and delivery unit. Migoya, in a memo sent to county and state leaders, previously described the maternity ward's September closure as a decision that was made due to a declining birth trend and a growing need for more cardiology and other services at Jackson South. Borrego, Jackson South's CEO, told the Miami Herald during a tour of the new cath lab that the goal is to make specialty care more accessible for patients by bringing it closer to home. 'If they come to our emergency room, not knowing what they have — and if it's a cardiac issue — they need to know that they're going to be in safe, and some of the best, hands — with the best technology,' Borrego said. Why heart disease is on the rise Heart disease has been the leading cause of death in the U.S. for decades, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. By 2050, at least six in 10 adults in the country could be affected by cardiovascular disease, according to a recent forecast study by the American Heart Association. Cardiovascular disease refers to heart attacks, high blood pressure, heart failure, strokes and several heart conditions, including vascular disease, heart arrhythmias and coronary artery disease, the most common heart disease in the U.S. The biggest rise in the total number of people with cardiovascular disease is expected to occur among Hispanic adults, with Black adults projected to see the highest rates of high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, inadequate sleep and poor diets, according to the forecast, which was published last year in the association's peer-reviewed journal. Asians are also projected to see a rise in risk factors. A news release on the study indicates this is partly because the U.S. is becoming older and more diverse, with its Hispanic and Asian populations forecast to nearly double by 2060 but also due to 'systemic racism, as well as socioeconomic factors and access to care.'
CBS News
03-07-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Jackson South to close maternity unit this fall as part of systemwide realignment
Jackson Health System announced Thursday it will close the maternity unit at Jackson South Medical Center this fall, citing a shift in community needs and a broader strategy to support the hospital's ongoing growth. The move comes more than two decades after Jackson South opened in 2001 and nearly a decade after it expanded emergency services with the addition of Ryder Trauma at Jackson South in 2016, the health system said. "Closure will help better align services" In a statement, a spokesperson for the health system said the closure will help better align services with the current demands of the surrounding community in southern Miami-Dade County and the Florida Keys. "Jackson South's continued success relies on adapting to our patients' needs," the statement said. "While the types of services offered may vary from hospital to hospital, as a system, we provide the most comprehensive, high-quality care for every patient." Employees affected Hospital officials said employees affected by the maternity unit closure will be offered opportunities at other Jackson South departments or similar units across the Jackson Health System. What about the moms-to-be? Expectant mothers nearing their delivery dates will continue to receive care at Jackson South. Others earlier in their pregnancies will be transitioned to other centers. Comprehensive maternity services — including high-risk obstetric care — will remain available at The Women's Hospital at Jackson Memorial and Jackson North Medical Center, the health system said. The Women's Hospital at Jackson Memorial and Jackson North Medical Center is at least 20 miles further. "We're just really sad to hear that they're going to shut down the delivery unit," expecting mom Bianka Ramirez said. Ramirez is due on July 30th. During her checkup Thursday, she found out she'll be among the last to have her baby at Jackson South. "She told us that, unfortunately, by September, they're going to shut it down and if we are planning to have kids in the future, we might not be able to come to this hospital." Jackson South will continue operating its OB-GYN physician practice in collaboration with UHealth – University of Miami Health System. Jackson also pledged to maintain prenatal care access for underserved populations through its ongoing partnership with Community Health of South Florida (CHI). Sheila Simms Watson, a licensed midwife with the Southern Birth Justice Network, said, "What's the community going to do? Where are we going to go?" Simms Watson said this will only hurt the already underserved area, with a lack of other options that aren't private and may not accept everyone's insurance. She says more expecting moms may consider birthing centers or even delivering at home. "So, it's a delay in care and that delay in care can be the difference between life and death, to put it bluntly." Both women now hope the hospital will reconsider. "Rethink about all the great doctors you have there and all the people that want to have kids there," Ramirez said. CBS News Miami requested an interview with hospital leadership but was told no. The maternity ward here is set to close in the fall; no word on an exact date yet.
Miami Herald
26-06-2025
- Miami Herald
Man accused of fatal crash that killed jogger, in critical condition after hospital clash
A driver accused of running down a Shenandoah father out for a jog has been unconscious and hospitalized since police struck him with Tasers two weeks ago as he thrashed about trying to get out of bed and was sedated, the family's attorney said this week. In a letter last week to his mother last week, the hospital reported that Andres Roberto Fiallo Estupinan's condition had declined so rapidly that he was in 'critical' condition. He had been initially admitted for an foot injury after police say he fled from the scene of the horrific hit-and-run. Attorney Bradley Horenstein said police and hospital personnel wouldn't allow him to see his client for a week after he was admitted to Jackson Memorial Hospital. The lawyer said he was finally able to visit Estupinan after a judge ordered police to allow him behind the curtain of the hospital's Intensive Care Unit on June 16. Estupinian has not yet been formally charged but witnesses and police say he was behind the wheel of a Volkswagen Jetta that struck jogger Andrew Loretta, 50, so severely on the evening of June 10 that it severed his legs. Estupinan is accused of then careening his car into an ice cream truck and other vehicles. After the crash, he was hospitalized with a broken foot. Since then his condition has deteriorated rapidly. Jackson Health System sent Estupinan's mother in Chile a letter last week saying she should rush to her son's bedside. The letter provided to the Miami Herald and signed by the hospital's Trauma Intensive Care Unit, says Catalina Lourdes Estupinan Saltos should be considered for a humanitarian visa because her son is in 'critical' condition. Why Estupinan's condition turned so grave is a mystery. Miami Police have refused to discuss the case. They won't say if officers used Tasers to subdue the suspect. They won't even admit an officer has been sentry outside Estupinan's curtained room since he was admitted to Jackson on June 10. As for his client's condition, Horenstein said 'I don't know if it's because he was Tasered. I don't know if it's because he was sedated. But it's alarming for sure. He went in with a broken ankle and nothing else.' Horenstein said when he was finally permitted to see Estupinan, he was stunned. A thick hose was inserted down his throat and bandages across his face held it in place. The attorney said he was unable to communicate with his client and that when he visited again later in the week, nothing had changed. 'It's an image that sticks in my head,' the attorney said. The sudden death of Loretta, a married telecommunications executive with two teenage children, has dazed Coral Way neighbors and devastated his family. Friends and family said his passions were soccer and jogging, that he moved to Miami from California in 2000 and that he spoke English, Spanish and Portugese. Family members around the state called Loretta 'selfless' and said he was always there for anyone who needed help. 'I can't speak enough about what a great leader he was for his family. We're all really hurting,' said cousin John Loretta, who lives in Kendall. 'Everybody's heartbroken. It's still very fresh,' said another cousin, St. Petersburg resident Kristin Joy Loretta. A GoFundme page set up for Andrew Loretta had raised more than $188,000 as of Wednesday. In a post on the site his wife said she was 'heartbroken.' 'It all just makes me cry in a bittersweet way - to feel so much love while in so much pain - is the most overwhelming thing I've ever experienced,' she wrote. Residents tackled suspect in nearby park Estupinan, a 36-year-old Chilean, is in the U.S. on a work visa, his attorney said. Horenstein said his client recently graduated from Boston University with a Master's degree and was living in Coral Gables. Horenstein said he had a job - though couldn't identify what type of work it was - two weeks ago when police say he crashed into Loretta just before sunset near the corner of Southwest 21st Avenue and 18th Street. The crash so violent, police said, that Loretta was thrown more than 170 feet. Witnesses say Estupinan then veered his car into an ice cream truck and two other vehicles before getting out and running. He was tackled to the ground in nearby Shenandoah Park by residents who witnessed the incident and who detained him until police arrived. Estupinan's arrest report that day said he was speeding and that his driver's license had expired. It also said he was charged with two felonies, leaving the scene of a deadly crash and leaving the scene of a crash involving serious bodily injury. Despite the arrest affidavit, a Miami Police source this week said Estupinan will not be officially charged until they determine he's recovered sufficiently or is released from the hospital. Did mental lapse lead to scrap at hospital? Though police won't discuss the chain of events that led to Estupinan's condition, witness and written accounts indicate he may have been suffering an emotional breakdown before the fatal crash and the confrontation at the hospital that left him in his current state. In the weeks leading up to the crash that ended Loretta's life, Estupinan was receiving telemedical psychological help from a doctor in Chile, according to Horenstein and his medical records. The attorney said two days before the crash, a cousin tried to get the suspect in the hit-and-run some help at Coral Gables Hospital, which ultimately released him. 'The psychiatrist felt he needed to see a doctor,' said Horenstein, who added his client might have been depressed but that his family said he didn't appear distressed or suicidal. A five-page psychiatric evaluation of Estupinan from June 14 says the patient became so agitated at the hospital that he tore out his line, jumped out of the bed naked while handcuffed and swore before he was 'tased by PD [Miami police officers] multiple times which did not have any effect.' Estupinan was so disturbed, a doctor wrote, that he thrashed himself against a vent on a wall and set off a hospital alarm. 'Finally the patient was held down, given IM meds and subsequently intubated,' a psychiatrist wrote. Medical doctor Dominque Musselman said in at attempt to subdue Estupinan he was given ketamine, fentanyl and midazolam introvenously. The drugs are typically used for sedation and pain management. The doctor said it worked, but that Estupinan became angry and threw himself around repeatedly as doctor's tried to wean him from the sedation. The report also says that because of abnormal heart activity, high blood pressure and paranoia, Estupinan had been taking three powerful drugs generally used to for mental lapses. Valproate is used to stop seizures. Sebroquel manages hallucinations and risperidone is used to treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and general regulates mood swings and behavior. Horenstein said in the two weeks since he was hospitalized and charged, Estupinan hasn't spoken to anyone or been before a judge. The attorney said the hospital called his client's father Wednesday to inform him that they were about to perform a tracheotomy on his son. 'The system is broken and civil rights are illusory if this is how a defendant can be treated while in police custody in this country,' said Horenstein. 'It's terrifying that this can happen in America in 2025.'
Miami Herald
06-06-2025
- Health
- Miami Herald
Data breach of personal patient info ends in firing of Miami hospital employee
More than 2,000 patients at Jackson Health System had their personal data, including names, address and medical information accessed in a lengthy breach that spanned nearly five years. The data breach was conducted by a Jackson employee who accessed the information to promote a personal healthcare business, according to Jackson Health. Miami-Dade's public hospital system announced the patient data breach Friday afternoon. Jackson Health says its internal investigation found that the 'unauthorized access' to patient records occurred between July 2020 and May 2025. The data breach included 'patient names, birth dates, addresses, medical record numbers and clinical details' but Social Security numbers weren't compromised, according to the hospital. 'Data breaches are unfortunately all too common in the healthcare industry, where sensitive information is frequently targeted,' Jackson Health said in a statement. 'In this case, Jackson became a victim of an employee who took advantage of his trusted position to access patient information inappropriately,' Jackson Health spokeswoman Krysten Brenlla declined to answer questions from the Miami Herald on the breach, including which hospital the breach occurred. Jackson said the employee who accessed the patient data was 'immediately terminated.' The hospital said it's 'cooperating with law enforcement to investigate any potential criminal violations. Patients affected are being notified.' This article will be updated.
