Broward Health Moves To Assess Investigations

Sun-Sentinel: Hoping to bring clarity to the investigations swirling around Broward Health, the public hospital district’s audit committee voted Wednesday to recommend hiring an outside law firm to help find out what’s going on and assess whether the system’s staff is cooperating.

The committee voted to recommend hiring the Berger Singerman firm, after a forceful presentation by firm co-chair Mitchell Berger. A prominent Fort Lauderdale lawyer, Berger said the audit committee needed to seize control of the situation, a tangle of rumors, allegations of non-cooperation with federal investigators and a massive search for documents initiated by state investigators — all taking place in the shadow of the shocking suicide last month of Broward Health chief executive Dr. Nabil El Sanadi.

“You are the ones who have taken on the responsibility to run the hospital district, not the governor, not law enforcement agencies,” said Berger, speaking also to three Broward Health board members who participated in the meeting but could not vote because they were not on the committee. “You have allegations being made. If people are to have confidence in you, then you have got to get to the bottom of them.”