Jackson's next leader to be chosen Wednesday

Jackson Health System's governing board is expected Wednesday to pick a new CEO who will almost immediately face hard decisions to keep Miami-Dade's public hospitals alive in the face of severe cash shortages and major cuts in state funding. The three contenders are a New York public hospital executive accustomed to tough choices, a veteran consultant who has turned around other struggling hospitals and a longtime banker who staved off financial disaster at Miami City Hall. The decision will be made by the Public Health Trust, 13 volunteers appointed by the County Commission, two commissioners and a member selected by the University of Miami. The new CEO could negotiate a contract paying up to $975,000 a year. Members of the board are likely to resume a heated discussion from earlier meetings about whether a healthcare novice, banker Carlos Migoya, can deal with Jackson's complex problems as well as Ram Raju, COO of New York City's public hospitals, or Myles Lash, a 40-year hospital administrator who has helped straighten out finances of a big District of Columbia hospital.