Florida State University and Tallahassee Memorial Hospital have moved forward in a big way by breaking ground on their shared medical campus in Panama City Beach. The project is part of FSU’s long-term goal of climbing higher in national rankings and will also serve a massive retirement community that just completed its 1,000th home.
One of the areas FSU has identified as a weakness is its federal health funding. The school has made it a priority to get more money for health-related research from the National Institutes of Health. Why the emphasis? Research funding is one of many metrics used to determine national rankings, and it’s also something on the state’s radar as state colleges and universities vie for additional funding from the legislature.
“We see this transformational for our university, for building transformational healthcare, but also healthcare technology and research that will make a difference in the future,” said FSU President Richard McCullough during a groundbreaking ceremony for the site.
During McCullough’s hiring process, the medical campus was top-of-mind for many presidential search committee members, as was the need to grow the school’s healthcare research.
The new medical campus will feature specialty practices, and a 100-bed hospital, where FSU medical students can train and be overseen by Tallahassee Memorial Hospital physicians. The Port St. Joe Land Company is developing the retirement community. It benefits from the partnership by having a local medical practice to serve the needs of the 55-and-over residents who will be moving to its massive Margaritaville-branded retirement village.
