Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare and Florida State University want to join forces to create an academic health center. The proposal seeks to slowly rebrand all TMH assets to FSU Health.
The entities made the announcement last week. FSU President Richard McCullough and TMH CEO Mark O’Bryant praised the partnership, saying it will help FSU expand its current research and education efforts while advancing healthcare access in the region.
"Patients will keep seeing their current doctors, and the hospital will continue its mission of caring for everyone in the community, including uninsured and underinsured patients," McCullough wrote in an email to the university community. "Construction is already under way on a new $134 million FSU Health research building on the TMH campus that will house research labs, a family practice clinic, and more."
McCullough added that the partnership "strengthens FSU’s role as a leader in health sciences and brings more opportunities to you as students preparing for your careers."
The proposed plan would form a new board comprised of eight members of the Florida State University Board of Trustees and nine board members from TMH.
The Tallahassee City Commission will consider this proposal at its October 1st meeting. The City owns TMH.
We talk about what we know so far on Speaking Of. We also hear from Tallahassee residents who are concerned about the potential change involving two of the area's largest employers.
Tallahassee resident Raymond Phaneuf told us he doesn't know much about it, but he has concerns.
"Are they still going to be accepting my insurance? What are the, you know, the prerequisites? I just, I want to make sure that it's still going to be inclusive, that it's not going to be segregating people out of it," Phaneuf said.
Hear the episode by clicking LISTEN above.
