Two leading U.S. Senate Republicans will be at a Hialeah hospital Tuesday, listening to South Florida healthcare leaders about what they want to see in a reform package out of Washington.

The event at Palmetto General will be led by Senators John McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential candidate, and Mitch McConnell, the party's leader in the Senate. It will be open to the press, but closed to the public. Unions are planning to protest outside.

Nick Simpson from the Senate Republican Conference said the event is one of a series. One was scheduled in Kansas City for Monday, then another in North Carolina before coming to South Florida.

``They're meeting with doctors, healthcare providers, small business leaders to get them involved in the healthcare discussion,'' said Simpson. The idea is to learn the thoughts of those ``outside the beltway.''

The Hialeah meeting is being organized by the staff of Sen. Mel Martinez, Simpson said. A hospital spokeswoman said she would have no comment before Monday afternoon.

On Monday, an e-mail from Fred Frost, president of the South Florida AFL-CIO, to union members urged them to go Tuesday afternoon to protest the event. `Both senators will be talking about healthcare reform with a hand-picked audience of doctors and health insurance executives. We need a huge turnout for this event!''

The two Republic senators are also scheduled to appear Tuesday evening at a fundraiser at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables. Called a Summer Senate Salute and sponsored by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the event has a ``suggested contribution'' of $2,500 a person or $5,000 a couple.

Miami Herald staff writer Beth Reinhard contributed to this report.