The number of uninsured residents in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties continues to grow at an alarming rate.  In 2007, more than 475,000 (25.3%) of Miami-Dade's residents and 13,330 (19.8%) of Monroe County's residents had no health insurance. Many earn too much to be covered under existing federal and state health insurance programs, or earn too little to afford their own coverage.

The Health Council of South Florida recognizes the need to formulate innovative strategies and implementation plans that address the health care access barriers of the residents of Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. To this end, the Council seeks and maintains partnerships with key organizations and diverse audiences with a community-wide focus on the total health needs of the community centered on access to healthcare.

In the spring of 2008, the Miami-Dade County Health Department, in partnership with the Health Council of South Florida and Florida State Representative Juan Carlos Zapata, convened a number of community stakeholders in addressing healthcare access for the uninsured in Miami-Dade County. As a result of this meeting, the Miami-Dade Health Action Network (MD-HAN) was formed in May 2008.

The MD-HAN is a partnership of free clinics, hospitals, federally qualified health centers, and non-profit service organizations that provide both specialized and primary care services to the uninsured residents of Miami-Dade. This volunteer Network functions in a collaborative manner to develop an integrated, sustainable, and comprehensive system that will work on increasing access to primary health care for the uninsured residents of Miami-Dade County.

The MD-HAN envisions accomplishing this significant goal by facilitating the efficient sharing of health information, the implementation and use of an effective county-wide referral system, and the provision of continual, managed, and coordinated care through a medical home.

Click here, for more information about the MD-HAN.