DOWNTOWN TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — The Tallahassee City Commission voted Wednesday morning to transfer Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare to Florida State University, approving the deal in a 3-2 vote following a year of discussion.
WATCH THE FULL REPORT BELOW:
Mayor John Dailey, Mayor Pro Tem Curtis Richardson, and Commissioner Dianne Williams-Cox voted in favor of the transfer, citing the creation of over 900 jobs, a projected $3.6 billion local economic impact, and the advancement of healthcare in the community.
"Everyone has a role to play," Dailey said. "Our role today was helping move the process forward to take health care to truly a new level in our community."
Williams-Cox said she was confident in the Commission's decision.
"This is a historic moment, and I believe that we have done the right thing to move our city forward. So I'm feeling really good about being able to move forward with great quality health care here in the Tallahassee area," Williams-Cox said.
WATCH DISCUSSION AND VOTE BELOW:
Their votes were supported by roughly half of the public speakers at Wednesday's meeting, with community members expressing enthusiasm for the region's healthcare future.
However, Commissioners Jeremy Matlow and Jack Porter dissented, raising concerns about the process and an automatic transfer deadline of April 1.
A representative for TMH noted that 0 out of 17 definitive agreements between TMH and FSU have been signed.
Matlow said the timeline was being used to rush a decision without sufficient information.
"Creating arbitrary deadlines doesn't make the facts better. It just sets a deadline for the city to transfer our assets without knowing the future of the hospital. So I can only look after the city's interest, and this is not in the city's interest," Matlow said.
Porter said she supports the concept of an academic medical center but could not fully back the deal without signed agreements in place.
"I think we could have had a 5-0 vote had there been a willingness from the majority to compromise and to slow this down a little bit so that we could have a better understanding of what we're actually supporting," Porter said.
Following the vote, Florida State University sent out a statement celebrating this step forward in the creation of FSU Health, academic medical center. The statement included comment from FSU President Richard McCullough which reads:
“This is an important moment for our community and for the future of healthcare in our region,” said Florida State University President Richard McCullough, noting the opportunities created by the City’s decision. “We are grateful to the City Commission for its leadership and vision for Tallahassee. Working together with Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, we can strengthen care for patients while expanding medical education and research here in our capital city.”
The statement also contains comment from TMH CEO Mark O'Bryant: "TMH and Florida State University are continuing to work together to reach consensus as we carefully finalize the agreements that will guide our long-term partnership. These negotiations are being approached with a shared commitment to the future of healthcare in our community,” said Mark O’Bryant, CEO of Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare. “Once the agreements are complete, we look forward to working alongside FSU to build on our strong foundation of care and further improve healthcare for the people of North Florida.”
At the meeting, the representative for TMH said that negotiations between FSU and TMH are still continuing. Commissioners in opposition noted that the item could only be brought back before the City Commission at the request of a Commissioner who voted in favor of the transfer.
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