Health Care District Board Welcomes Three New Members and Honors Outgoing Chair
At its first public meeting of the year on January 26th, the Health Care District of Palm Beach County’s Board welcomed three new members appointed last month by Governor Ron DeSantis. Tracy Caruso, Patrick Rooney and Carlos Vidueira will each serve a four-year term. They joined Alina M. Alonso, MD, outgoing Chair; Sean O’Bannon, Vice Chair and Tammy Jackson-Moore, Secretary.
“We are pleased to welcome Ms. Caruso, Mr. Rooney and Mr. Vidueira to the Health Care District Board,” said Darcy J. Davis, Health Care District CEO. “They each bring extensive experience and leadership in business, government, and community advocacy. Their volunteer service will be an asset to our unique health care system and the residents we serve.”
From left: Carlos Vidueira, Chair; Tracy Caruso and Patrick Rooney
At the meeting, the Board elected Mr. Vidueira as the new Chair. Mr. Vidueira is the Vice President of Huizenga Holdings, Inc. and serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Northend RISE in West Palm Beach.
“I look forward to working strategically with the board as well as leadership and staff,” said Mr. Vidueira. “For nearly 35 years, the Health Care District has provided a health care safety net for the citizens of Palm Beach County and I am honored to be a part of the District’s ongoing mission.”
Ms. Caruso is the President of Delray Beach Executive Suites and serves as the Vice Chair of the Palm Beach County Housing and Finance Authority. She previously served on the Delray Beach Historic Preservation Board.
“I’m excited to serve on the Health Care District Board,” said Ms. Caruso. “I look forward to helping expand access to quality health care services for our community in a fiscally responsible manner,”
Mr. Rooney, who served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2010 to 2016, is the President of the Palm Beach Kennel Club.
From left: Carlos Vidueira, Chair; Tammy Jackson-Moore, Secretary; Sean O’Bannon, Vice Chair;
Darcy J. Davis, CEO; Alina M. Alonso, MD, outgoing Chair; Tracy Caruso and Patrick Rooney
“It is an honor to serve as a member of the Health Care District Board,” said Mr. Rooney. “I am committed to ensuring operational efficiency on behalf of the taxpayers as we provide diverse, high-quality health services.”
During the meeting, Ms. Davis recognized Dr. Alonso for her dedication and volunteer service since joining the Board in 2009. Dr. Alonso is retiring this year from her post as Director of the Florida Department of Health for Palm Beach County. That position holds a standing seat on the Health Care District Board.
“It’s been an honor to serve on the District Board and committees for nearly 14 years,” said Dr. Alonso. “I am proud that we expanded our network of primary care clinics, introduced care for behavioral health and substance use disorder, rolled out three mobile clinics and mobilized a countywide response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“Dr. Alonso is a passionate public health leader and advocate who helped pave the way for our public healthcare system to meet the changing health care needs of our community,” said Ms. Davis. “It’s been a pleasure to work with her and she will be missed.”
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About the Health Care District
The Health Care District of Palm Beach County is a special taxpayer-funded district that has served as a health care safety net for over 30 years to fill in gaps in access to health care services. This unique health care system covers the entire county and provides diverse services such as 13 outpatient clinics (Federally Qualified Health Centers) which serve everyone regardless of ability to pay; school health clinicians staffed in nearly 170 public schools; two Trauma Hawk aeromedical helicopters; a rural, public teaching hospital, Lakeside Medical Center; a skilled nursing facility, the Edward J. Healey Rehabilitation and Nursing Center; a specialty benefits program for eligible, uninsured residents; and quality performance oversight of the county’s lifesaving trauma system.
About the C. L. Brumback Primary Care Clinics
This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number H80CS25684 for Health Center Cluster in the award amount of $7,278,563. Of the total project, 84.5% is financed with nongovernmental sources. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government. The C. L. Brumback Primary Care Clinics were granted Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) deeming status effective January 1, 2023.