Tallahassee commission directs manager to negotiate payment for proposed FSU–TMH academic health center

The Tallahassee City Commission on Friday, during a special meeting and public hearing, voted 3–2 to direct the city manager to negotiate a payment structure with Florida State University related to a proposed memorandum of understanding that would create an FSU Health academic health center and transfer title to the city-owned main hospital campus to the university under a long-term lease.

The memorandum of understanding, presented by leaders from Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare and Florida State University, would preserve TMH as a nonprofit, locally operated hospital while rebranding it as FSU Health, establish a 17-member governing board (9 seats nominated by TMH and 8 by FSU), and place the campus under a 40-year lease for a nominal dollar-per-year amount, according to presenters.

Mark O’Brien, chief executive officer of Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare, told commissioners an academic health center model would let the region expand specialty services, residencies and clinical research. "It will expand access to advanced care over time, training and retaining physicians, nurses and health professionals," he said.

Florida State President McCullough said the university sees the affiliation as a way to bring research, residency slots and clinical trials to the area and to help keep clinicians in North Florida. "This partnership is not just about us," McCullough said, noting FSU’s existing work with Florida A&M University and Tallahassee State College and citing a…