@itrus
EALTHNETWORK INC.
FEDERALLY
QUALIFIED
HEALTH
CENTER
4175
WEST
20THAVENUE
HIALEAH,
FL33012-5875
OFFICE:
305
424-3100
FAX:
786
209-2054
January
27,
2021Ms.
Melinda
M.
Miguel
Chief
Inspector
General
Office
of
the
Chief
Inspector
General
Florida
Department
of
State
R.
A.
Gray
Building
500
S.
Bronough
Street
Tallahassee,Florida
32399-0250
Dear
Chief
Inspector
GeneralMiguel:
Thank
you
for
your
message
providing
context
on
the
preliminary
report
regarding
Executive
Order
20-44,
and
theanticipated
next
steps.
We
appreciate
that
you
have
clarified
that
the
information
contained
in
the
preliminary
report
is
not
final
orconclusive.
However
thereport
was
compiled
and
released
without
regard
for
how
it
would
affect
the
organizationsalleged
to
be
out
of
compliance.
The
public
nature
of
the
report,
and
the
subsequent
media
articles
have
led
to
a
mischaracterization
of
our
organization.
Such
misinformationcan
tarnish
the
good
name
and
reputation
that
Citrus
Health
Network
has
developed
over
more
than
40
years
of
service,
and
has
the
potential
to
negatively
affect
other
contracts
and
funds
Citrus
receives
to
operate
our
Federally
Qualified
HealthCenter
division,which
is
not
related
to
the
Lead
Agency
contract.
This
could
have
been
avoided
had
representatives
from
the
Florida
Department
of
Children
and
Families’
Office
of
the
Inspector
General
orthe
Executive
Office
of
the
Governor’s
Office
of
the
Chief
Inspector
General
contacted
us
for
clarification
or
further
information
prior
to
therelease
of
the
preliminary
reportalleging
inappropriate
use
of
state
funds.
Additionally,
it
is
apparent
that
the
only
document
utilized
for
the
preliminary
report
was
Citrus’
Form
990from
fiscal
year
2017-2018,
prior
to
Citrus’
role
as
Lead
Agency
and
that
otherpubliclyavailable
fiscal
documents
related
to
our
organization
were
not
consulted.
The
lack
ofcommunication,
and
the
use
of
outdated
information
have
resulted
in
an
inaccurate
picture
of
our
organization,
and
how
we
use
public
funds,
which
needs
to
be
clarified
and
corrected.
Citrus
Health
Network
Inc.
is
a
large
non-profit
health
care
organization
that
has
been
serving
our
South
Florida
community
for
more
than
40
years.
We
currently
operate
two
divisions;
Accreditedby
the
Joint
Commission
on
Accreditation
of
Healthcare
Organization
E
y
Q
o
S
Fahne
mat
Dae
e
eZ
e
a
et
D
h
Children s
l
HealthNetwork
Inc.
ffili ted
Agency
SupportedAgency
Ms.Melinda
M.
Miguel
Chief
Inspector
GeneralJanuary
27,
2021
Page
Two
the
Federally
Qualified
HealthCenter
and
the
Community
Based
Care
Lead
Agency
for
Child
Welfare.
The
Federally
Qualified
Health
Center
division,
which
has
an
annual
budget
of
nearly
80
million,
provides
inpatient
and
outpatient
behavioral
health
services,
primary
care
services,
housing
for
the
homeless,
and
other
social
services
to
underserved
and
vulnerable
populations.
Citrus
holds
accreditationsfor
Behavioral
HealthCare
and
Ambulatory
Health
Care,
as
well
as
certifications
in
PrimaryCare
Medical
Home
and
Behavioral
Health
Home
from
the
Joint
Commission
and
is
recognized
as
a
Level
III
Patient
Centered
Medical
Home
by
the
National
Committeeon
Quality
Assurance.
We
are
ateaching
health
center
accredited
by
the
Accreditation
Council
for
Graduate
Medical
Education
as
a
sponsoring
institution
to
hosta
medical
residency
in
psychiatry
and
afellowship
in
child
and
adolescent
psychiatry,
andby
the
American
PsychologicalAssociation
to
host
doctoralinternship
and
postdoctoral
residencyprograms
in
psychology.
Asa
service
provider
Citrus
holds
a
variety
of
facility
andprogram
licenses,
and
receives
funding
from
multiple
sources.
As
a
result
of
the
above
mentioned
accreditations,licenses
and
funding
sources,
Citrus’
Federally
Qualified
Health
Center
division
is
regularly
monitored
and
audited
by
local
state,
and
federal
agencies,
as
well
as
accrediting
bodies
and
funders,
to
ensure
compliance
with
extensive
fiscal,
operational,
and
safety
requirements.
The
Community
Based
Care
Lead
Agency
for
Child
Welfare
division,
known
as
Citrus
Family
Care
Network
manages
child
welfare
services
for
the
Departmentof
Children
and
Families
in
the
Southern
Region,
encompassing
Miami-Dade
and
Monroe
Counties,
andbegan
operations
in
July
2019.
Citrus
responded
to
DCF’s
Invitation
to
Negotiate
for
the
Lead
Agency
contract
because
we
saw
an
opportunity
to
bring
an
integrated,
holistic,
and
trauma-informedapproach
to
child
welfare
built
on
the
foundation
of
our
decades
of
service
and
commitment
to
vulnerable
children
and
families
in
our
community.
Citrus
falls
under
the
purview
of
the
Governor’s
Executive
Order20-44
as
a
result
of
the
Community
Based
Care
Lead
Agency
for
Child
Welfare
contract
with
DCF
which
is
primarily,
and
majority
funded
by
state
and
federal
dollars.
DCF
contracts
with
Lead
Agencies
throughout
the
state
of
Florida
following
competitive
procurements
that
encourage
competition,
innovation,
and
local
stakeholder
engagement.
As
the
Lead
Agency
we
are
held
to
high
standards
of
transparency
that
are
outlined
in
our
contract
with
DCF
as
well
asin
Florida
Statutes.
We
are
required
to
work
closely
with
DCF
and
to
provide
information
regularly
on
a
variety
of
items
including
performance
measures,
financial
viability,
and
executive
compensation.
We
are
required
to
postinformation
on
our
performance
and
budget,
including
executive
compensation,
publicly
on
ourwebsite www.citrusfcn.com ,
a
requirement
of
which
we
are
in
full
compliance.
Ms.
Melinda
M.
Miguel
Chief
Inspector
General
January
27,
2021
Page
Three
At
the
beginning
of
operations
asthe
Lead
Agency
our
Board
of
Directors
resolved
not
to
burden
the
budget
of
the
Lead
Agency
with
the
salaries
of
the
CEO
and
COO
of
Citrus
Health
Network.
We
have
made
it
clear
to
DCF
and
it
is
clearly
statedin
the
budget
document
posted
on
our
website,
that
our
CEO
and
COO
do
not
have
salaryallocationsin
the
Lead
Agency
budget,
and
that
their
servicesare
provided
at
no
cost
to
the
Lead
Agency.Moreover
the
administrative
employee
salariesthat
areallocated
to
the
Lead
Agency
budget,
are
within
limits
allowed
by
statute.
If
left
unresolved
for
several
months,
this
matter
will
continue
to
cast
a
pall
on
our
organization
amongst
our
stakeholders
and
the
South
Florida
community.
Therefore,
Citrus
Health
Network
is
requesting
that
the
Office
of
the
Chief
Inspector
General
expedite
the
review
process
and
resolution
for
our
organization
to
publicly
correct
and
clarify
that
Citrus
is
notout
ofcompliance
with
state
and
federal
law,
and
that
Citrus’
executivecompensation
is
not
in
excess
of
amounts
allowed
by
statute.
We
look
forward
to
hearing
from
your
office
on
the
next
steps
in
the
process
as
soon
aspossible.
Should
you
haveany
questions,
please
do
not
hesitate
to
contact
me
at
305
424-3100
or
via
email
at
mario@citrushealth.com.
Sincerely,
cc:
Governor
Ron
DeSantis
Lieutenant
GovernorJeanette
Nufiez
Secretary
Chad
Poppell
Citrus
Health
Network
Inc.
Board
of
Directors