Jay Wolfson, Dr.P.H., J.D. Distinguished Service Professor Public Health and Medicine Associate Vice President, Health Law, Policy and Safety University of South Florida Director of the Florida Health Information Center

"DEFINED BY HER DYING, NOT HER DEATH: LESSONS FROM THE SCHIAVO EXPERIENCE"

Graham Center 140 Auditorium ~ University Park
Florida International University
Thursday, November 10, 2005, 3:30 PM

Theresa Marie Schiavo's last two-plus years of dying captured the attention of the Florida governor and legislature, the U.S. Congress, the President of the United States, the entire federal civil court system and the Pope. Very few people knew Ms. Schiavo, but everyone in the world knew about her. Dr. Jay Wolfson was appointed to serve as her Special Guardian ad Litem, and reported to Governor Bush and the courts. He engaged her family and the attorneys on both sides of the issue and spent considerable time with Ms. Schiavo. The takeaway lessons from that experience impact U.S. health care policy at the state and federal levels regarding the allocation of scarce resources, as well as personal and family decisions about death and dying. Dr. Wolfson will review aspects of his personal and professional experience in the Schiavo matter and take the case to the next levels of policy and practice.

Dr. Wolfson holds a B.A. in History from the University of Illinois, Chicago (1973); an M.A. in History from New York University (1974); an M.P.H. in Community Health Administration from Indiana University, Bloomington (1975); a Dr. P.H. in Health Services Organizations from the University of Texas, Houston (1981);and a J.D. from Stetson University College of Law (1993). Hiss research interests include various aspects of health and the workplace, including the costs, quality, and outcomes associated with workers’ compensation and employee health benefits programs. For more than twenty years, he has studied utilization and cost trends experienced by various employee/beneficiary populations in the public and private sectors in order to establish databases that allow for the design and implementation of cost management and health status improvement systems. As Director of the Florida Health Information Center, Dr. Wolfson is responsible for reporting to the Florida Legislature on a broad panoply of health policy issues.

He has also conducted numerous financial and legal evaluations and assessments of major health systems, including the Florida Medicaid system, the financial health and regulatory policies affecting Florida's Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), full service school programs, school-based drug intervention programs, and the readiness of health care organizations to respond to disasters such as hurricanes. Dr. Wolfson combines technical financial analysis with legal and policy analysis to address financial policy issues in health care. He also directs a major, nationally funded, multiple-county family AIDS care system. This project coordinates the clinical and social service efforts of more than eighty public and private agencies to create a community-based network of family-oriented, case-managed services. Dr. Wolfson's research interests also include the study of factors influencing hospital organization and operation, with an emphasis on the legal and financial issues that affect these entities.

This lecture is presented in partnership with: