Press Releases

MIAMI, FL – In the wake of the deaths of 14 residents, mostly seniors, at the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills, Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson (FL-24) will hold a bipartisan congressional field hearing on nursing home preparedness and response to disasters on Thursday, October 19, 2017. The field hearing will include testimony from experts and officials on ways to ensure that such tragedies never happen again.

"Fourteen residents of the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills died after enduring extreme temperatures when the HVAC system lost power during Hurricane Irma," said Congresswoman Wilson. "Unfortunately, similar tragedies have occurred during hurricanes in Louisiana and Texas. Florida has one of the highest concentrations of nursing homes and long-term facilities, we must prioritize our nursing homes' preparedness and response to emergencies to ensure that our seniors receive the care they deserve.

What: Congressional Field Hearing on Nursing Homes' Emergency Preparedness and Response to Disasters

Who: Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson (FL-24), Congressman Hank Johnson (D-GA), Ranking Democrat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's Subcommittee on Economic Development; Congresswoman Lois Frankel (D-FL); Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL); Florida State Senator Lauren Book; Kathryn Hyer, Ph.D., M.P.P. Florida International University professor and director of the Policy Center of the School of Aging Studies; former State Senator Eleanor Sobel; Miami-Dade County Office of Emergency Management Division director Charles Cyrille; Miami Jewish Health Systems engineering director George Talledo; Florida International University professor/chair of the Department of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Dr. Elena Bastida.

When: Thursday, October 19, 2017, 1:00-3:00 p.m.

Where: Miami Dade College, North Campus Conference Center, 11380 NW 27th Avenue, Miami, FL 33167