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Hospital decision prompts give, take
By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK
© St. Petersburg Times, BROOKSVILLE -- Hernando County officials have heard Hernando HealthCare CEO Tom Barb say it dozens of times: Every part of his company's proposal to move Brooksville Regional Hospital is negotiable except the site. With commissioners' decision just days away, they're beginning to consider what that really means. Commissioner Betty Whitehouse has suggested asking Barb to drop Brooksville Regional's opposition to an open-heart surgery program at Oak Hill Hospital as a condition of the commission's approval of the relocation. She also has talked about seeking about $50,000 from the company to support the county's planned elder day care center. Chairman Chris Kingsley said Wednesday that he planned to push the company to provide an additional $50,000 a year to cover costs associated with the county's new indigent care program. "I think we have to place the concept of a clinic or an emergency vehicle station on the table," County Administrator Paul McIntosh said. Barb had meetings scheduled with McIntosh and several commissioners throughout the remainder of this week and Monday to discuss the emerging ideas. "I'm talking to them," Barb said shortly after leaving an appointment with Commissioner Diane Rowden. "Everything is negotiable except the location. That doesn't mean we're going to give it, but it's worth talking about." To sweeten the deal, McIntosh said, Barb has agreed in principle to provide some sort of non-emergency medical service in eastern Hernando County, where opposition to the hospital move is strongest. Residents there have argued loudly that they fear a loss of access to health care if Brooksville Regional moves farther west. The company also has expanded its offer to make payments in lieu of taxes, McIntosh said. The amount would be equal to county taxes on all three hospitals it operates for the county -- Brooksville Regional, Spring Hill Regional and Pinebrook -- instead of the combined government taxes on the new Brooksville Regional site. "We said we would pay all taxes on the new hospital," Barb explained. "Their primary interest is, what is their piece? If we spread (the county rate only) over all three properties, it's the same amount. They're interpreting it differently, and we don't care." He did not want to provide specifics until everything is in writing and approved by his superiors at parent company Health Management Associates. McIntosh said he expected to receive updated language for the proposed amendment to the lease between the county and the hospital company before the end of the week, so commissioners will have adequate time to review it. "The details will be fleshed out," McIntosh said. McIntosh and Barb also were supposed to meet Wednesday to discuss the fate of the existing hospital in downtown Brooksville, including such details as who would remain responsible for what, and for how long. Hernando HealthCare has offered to pay $50,000 toward a reuse study. If its proposal wins approval, the hospital is not likely to move for at least two years. Oak Hill Hospital leaders have pledged to oppose the relocation to the site under consideration.
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From today's Hernando Times |
