AdventHealth North Pinellas | |
---|---|
AdventHealth | |
Geography | |
Location | 1395 South Pinellas Avenue, Tarpon Springs, Florida, United States |
Coordinates | 28°07′57″N82°45′31″W / 28.1326°N 82.7586°W |
Organization | |
Care system | Private hospital |
Funding | Non-profit hospital |
Type | Community hospital/General hospital |
Services | |
Emergency department | Yes |
Beds | 168 [1] |
Helipad | Yes |
History | |
Former name(s) | Tarpon Springs Memorial Hospital Tarpon Springs General Hospital Helen Ellis Hospital Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital Florida Hospital North Pinellas |
Opened | 1927 |
Links | |
Website | adventhealth |
Lists | Hospitals in Florida |
AdventHealth North Pinellas is a non-profit hospital campus in Tarpon Springs, Florida that is on land owned by the city and is leased to AdventHealth. It became part of the hospital network when University Community Health merged. The hospital has been evacuated three times due to hurricanes.
In 1927, Tarpon Springs had Tarpon Springs Memorial Hospital built on land owned by the city for $25,000 in bonds. It had 12 hospital beds and was two stories tall. [1] [2]
In the 1930s, the hospital made up 10 percent of the city budget. In 1939, Tarpon Springs was close to bankruptcy and the city commission government took a vote to close Tarpon Springs Memorial Hospital. [2] A few days later a married couple convinced the city commission government to lease the hospital to them. After it expired other residents kept the hospital open. [2]
In 1946, the Tarpon Springs Hospital Association was formed by the city manager and physicians. Tarpon Springs canceled the lease of the association after physicians failed to keep the hospital open. [2]
In 1947, the hospital changed its name from Tarpon Springs Memorial Hospital to Tarpon Springs General Hospital. [1] The same year the association renamed itself the Tarpon Springs Hospital Foundation. The by-laws of the foundation were written by the city. [2] The members of the foundation were leaders of local civic, fraternity and religious organizations. The foundation also included Tarpon Springs leaders, two former city commissioners and one former city manager who were part of the foundations board of directors. [2] Before the foundation leased the hospital for a second time, the city commission government tried to save it by signing an emergency lease with a local resident. [2]
From 1947 to 1982, a total of five-year leases were signed by the foundation with Tarpon Springs. During those years it paid $1 a year in rent, while the city maintained the hospital and paid its utility bills worth a total of $3,000 to $12,000 a year. [2]
In 1949, the foundation asked the city lawyer to collect unpaid patient bills [2]
In the 1950s, the foundation created a bank account for hospital revenues and took over the management of the hospital from Tarpon Springs. [2] The city purchased for Tarpon Springs General Hospital typewriters, mattresses and cardiac monitors. And also continued to give the hospital money for its budget. [2]
In 1960, the foundation took plans to the city commission government for a new 50-bed hospital (later it was increased to 67-beds). [2] It supported the plan to build a new hospital, some residents were angry about the city spending more money on the hospital, yet they supported in a referendum to issue $390,000 in bonds for the project in December 1963.
In 1965, the foundation hired the hospitals first administrator to make it self-sustaining. [2]
In 1966, construction workers built the new hospital on the site of the old one for $1,249,000. The additional $850,000 came from a federal grant. It was dedicated the same year. [2]
In 1968, the foundation agreed to pay the hospitals water and sewer bills, it also asked Tarpon Springs to put in a lawn sprinkling system for $1,750. [2]
In 1972, construction workers expanded the hospital to 111 beds at a cost of $775,000. The expansion was paid for with a federal grant and a loan of $400,000 from a local bank to Tarpon Springs. [2]
In 1981, the city created the Tarpon Springs Health Facilities Authority to issue bonds to the hospital [2] and to lease it to the Tarpon Springs Hospital Foundation. [3]
In 1982, the Health Facilities Authority issued bonds worth $10.6 million to the hospital, for another expansion which the foundation paid back over 30 years with hospital revenues. [2] The foundation also paid off other debts that Tarpon Springs had from earlier hospital projects. [2]
In 1988, it was renamed Helen Ellis Hospital after hospital volunteer Helen Ellis. In 1989, after her death it changed to Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital. [1]
In 1991, the Health Facilities Authority issued bonds worth $15 million to the hospital, to increase the number beds to 150 and add four more stories to the already four story building. [2]
In early December 1994, Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital announced that it signed a letter to become a partner with Columbia/HCA Healthcare. [4] [5] It was chosen after looking at seven other hospital networks. [6] At a meeting with Tarpon Springs officials the mayor was skeptical of the partnership as well as one city commissioner. While one city commissioner was enthusiastic about it. [4] It would have to go before voters in a special referendum to decide if it would join the hospital network. [4]
In late January 1995, at a special meeting with the city commission government some residents of Tarpon Springs were not persuaded of the partnership with Columbia/HCA Healthcare. While other residents and commissioners needed more information before deciding. [6]
In early April 1995, the city commission government terminated the partnership that Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital wanted with Columbia/HCA Healthcare with a 4-to-1 vote. By doing so there was no special referendum for voters. [7] Missing at the meeting were administrators from the hospital network, the foundation's board members and the lawyers for both organizations. The hospital was told to look somewhere else for a partner. An audience of 60 people praised the decision. [7] The reason why the city commission government terminated the partnership was, because they preferred Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital to be part of a not-for-profit instead of a for-profit corporate giant. They questioned the finances and management/ownership of the hospital. And it also was unhappy that it was not provided sufficient information from the organizations. [8] Tarpon Springs spent $137,000 to terminate the partnership that Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital wanted with Columbia/HCA, while the Tarpon Springs Hospital Foundation spent $449,000 to make it happen. [9]
In early September 1995, Tarpon Springs threatened to raise taxes or dissolve the Tarpon Springs Police Department, if residents did not vote yes to the referendum to be held on November 14, 1995. [10] In late September 1995, the hospital board members decided not to challenge the city commission government, which planned to ask voters if Tarpon Springs should sell Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital. The hospital board members instead decided that they would have a campaign to convince voters to reject the sale. [11]
In early October 1995, the hospital put 30-second ads on television and radio. Also ads were put in the local newspaper and direct mailing was done. [12]
In early November 1995, the following hospital networks that were interested in purchasing Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital were: Adventist Health System, Bon Secours Health System, Columbia/HCA Healthcare, Health Management Associates, Morton Plant Mease Health Care, OrNda Healthcorp, Tampa General Healthcare, Tenet Healthcare and Universal Health Services [13] On November 14, 1995, voters rejected a proposal at a referendum to sell Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital to a hospital network. [2] [14]
On March 17, 1998, there was a controversial referendum to amend the city charter to make it more clear the relationship between Tarpon Springs and the Tarpon Springs Hospital Foundation. [15] Before the referendum Tarpon Springs put neutral advertisements in the North Pinellas Times for a month and then later advertisements asking residents to vote yes. All total the city spent $428,000. [16] [17] The Hospital Springs Hospital Foundation bought television advertisements that were shown on local cable stations, it also put advertisements in the North Pinellas Times. In the advertisements asking residents to vote no. All total the city spent $1.2 million. Its reason that the referendum would give Tarpon Springs control of Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital. [16] [17] At a city commission government meeting the mayor denied that the city wanted to take over the hospital and considered the advertisements by the foundation to be misleading. While the city manager considered them to be false. [17]
In January 1999, Standard & Poor's lowered the bond rating of Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital by three grades to BBB- which is a "junk" bond level. This happened after five consecutive poor financial quarters. The rating agency believed that the hospital would not be able to repay its debt of $31 million back. [18] [19] In late March 1999, at its annual meeting, the Tarpon Springs Hospital Foundation announced that the hospital made a surplus of $720,000. The hospital did this by cutting spending and by treating more patients. [19]
In early June 1999, at a meeting the city commissioner, the chairperson of the Health Facilities Authority and the hospital administrator agreed for the hospital to survive it must have an affiliate. They preferred it becoming part of a non-profit to reduce its debt. [20]
In early July 1999, the debt of Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital had been reduced to $28 million. And the hospital networks Adventist Health System, Columbia/HCA Healthcare and Health Management Associates were still interested in the hospital. [21]
On August 2, 1999, Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital announced that it that it had contacted 25 non-profit hospital networks for a merger or a joint venture. Only three responded to the struggling hospital. The partners Adventist Health System and University Community Hospital. Also Morton Plant Mease Health Care and the third to respond was Tampa General Hospital. [22]
On October 20, 1999, at a meeting with the city commissioner government the Tarpon Springs Hospital Foundation introduced Choice Health Alliance to manage Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital. Choice Health Alliance is a partnership between University Community Hospital and Adventist Health System. [23] [24]
In early November 1999, the city commission government supported leasing Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital to Choice Health Alliance for thirty years. Hospital employees and board members of the foundation praised the decision. [25] In a referendum voters would decide on the lease to Choice Health Alliance. [26]
In early February 2000, the lawyers of Choice Health Alliance and the city lawyer both submitted paperwork to Tarpon Springs for a forty year lease. [27] On March 27, 2000, some on the city commission government were alarmed by the slow negotiating with Choice Health Alliance, they were afraid that it could cause Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital to close. [28]
On March 30, 2000, Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital announced that it would affiliate with University Community Hospital. University Community Hospital would pay $24 million to pay off the 1988 and 1991 bonds of the hospital. And it would lease Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital for $250,000 a year. [29] [30] Choice Health Alliance had wanted to refinance the bonds of Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital. After the rising interest rates of bonds Choice Health Alliance and Adventist Health System were dropped as partners. [29] [30] Before Choice Health Alliance was dropped there had been rumors that the partnership had soured. [24]
In late April 2000, paying off the debt of Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital had changed. University Community Hospital would pay $20 million and would loan $4.2 million to the struggling hospital. Another $3.4 million would come from a reserve fund created by the Tarpon Springs Hospital Foundation. [31] [32] It was also announced that the Tarpon Springs Hospital Foundation would be made up off 12 board members, six chosen by University Community Hospital. One of them would be the chief executive officer of University Community Hospital. The other six would be made up of one medical employee from Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital and five residents from Tarpon Springs or the surrounding communities. [31] [33] Some members of the city commission government were concerned about the agreement between University Community Hospital and Tarpon Spring Hospital Foundation. [31]
In early June 2000, the city commission government supported leasing Helen Ellis Memorial to University Community Hospital for 40 years. In a referendum voters would decide on the 40-year lease to University Community Hospital. [34] Employees at Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital overwhelmingly supported the referendum as a way to save their struggling hospital. [35] Before the referendum the Tarpon Springs Hospital Foundation had signs put across the city on lawns, including a large "Vote Yes" sign in front of Helen Ellis Memoral Hospital. They also purchased newspaper advertisements, sent out direct mailings and made telephone calls. All total they spent $15,000. [32] On July 11, 2000, voters overwhelmingly approved the 40-year lease of the hospital to University Community Hospital by a 9-to-1 ratio. [36] [37]
On September 1, 2000, University Community Hospital took over the management of Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital. [38] [39]
In May 2001, a heliport was built at Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital. [40] On March 6, 2004, at 8:00PM a fire start in a second floor laboratory at Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital. Sixty firefighters responded to the fire at the hospital. It forced the evacuation of several patients and it caused $100,000 in damage. At first the fire was blamed on equipment and later a match. [41] [42]
In early October 2003, Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital wanted to sell a walk-in clinic it owned in Holiday, Florida. The clinic which opened in 1986 was deep in debt from 2001-2002. The hospital would have to get approval from the city commission government to sell it. [43] When they asked the city commission government the hospital was told that they might have to get voter approval to sell. [44]
In early March 2008, the Tarpon Springs Hospital Foundation and Tarpon Springs both wanted to sell land by Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital to developer AG Armstrong. To sell the land owned by the city the lease for hospital would have to be changed. The 2.2 acres would then be added to the 7.2 acres already owned by AG Armstrong. AG Armstrong planned on building apartments or condominiums, a shopping center with a Sweetbay Supermarket, a medical office building, a parking garage to be shared with the hospital and assisted living. Also Tarpon Springs wanted to sell a medical office building in Pasco County, Florida. [45] [46] In a referendum voters would decide on selling the land by Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital and selling the medical office building in Pasco County. [45] [46] [47] On March 11, 2008, voters approved the sale of the land by Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital by 1,960 to 505. [48] In late July 2011, AG Armstrong changed its mind about building the parking garage due to the economy and instead decided to due a parking lot. [49] This forced a referendum on the land owned by the Tarpons Springs Hospital Foundation again on January 31, 2012. [48]
In 2010, Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital was $9.5 million in debt. [50] On September 1, 2010, the hospital became part of Adventist Health System. This happened after University Community Health merged with Adventist Health System. [51] [52] [53] After acquiring the hospital Adventist Health System made over $45 million in upgrades. [1] [50]
On February 22, 2012, it was suggested to the city commission government that the name should be changed to Florida Hospital North Pinellas. It was believed that the name change would help with marketing. [50] That same year Adventist Health System hired a consultant over renaming the hospital. The consultant met with the hospitals foundation, its employees and with area residents. It was overwhelmly agreed that the name had to change. [1]
In early March 2012, the city commission government gave permission to rename Helen Ellis Memorial to Florida Hospital North Pinellas. [1] The name Helen Ellis Memorial remained on the outside of the hospital, after it changed its name to Florida Hospital North Pinellas. Inside of the hospital the Ellis family name is on a wall in the lobby and the board room was renamed A. L. Ellis Board Room. The Ellis family has given millions to the hospital. [1]
On August 3, 2018, an official from Adventist Health System met with the city commission government of Tarpon Springs asking to extend the lease of the hospital from 2040 to 2070. The city commission government supported extending the lease of the hospital. And four days later it voted 4-0 in support of the extension. [54] [55] In a referendum voters would decide to extend the lease from 2040 to 2070. [54] [55] If the referendum is approved the hospital would pay the city $3 million. Despite the concerns of former members of the city commission. [55] [56]
On January 2, 2019, Florida Hospital North Pinellas rebranded to AdventHealth North Pinellas. [57] [58] On January 3, 2019, the da Vinci Xi was used for the first time at AdventHealth North Pinellas to perform a gallbladder surgery. [59] [60]
On August 12, 2019, AdventHealth North Pinellas had a groundbreaking ceremony for a new bigger emergency department, [61] [62] to replace its smaller 6,000-square-foot emergency department which was built in the 1980s. [63] The cost of the new emergency would be $18.5 million (later grew to $20 million), it would be 14,000-square-foot and have 18 private patient rooms, negative pressure room and an ambulance bay separate from the main entrance. [61] [63] The hospital also had $20 million in renovations done to its laboratory, lobby and exterior façade to make it resistant to a Category 4 hurricane. [61] [62] [63] On August 31, 2021, the new emergency department opened at AdventHealth North Pinellas. [63] [64] [65] The opening of the new emergency room was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [62] [64]
On January 1, 2021, the United States government required all hospitals to have their chargemaster on its website. [66] In a survey done in 2022, the majority of hospitals in Florida including AdventHealth North Pinellas had failed to comply with the new law. [66] [67] It was not until February 10, 2023, that the hospital was in full compliance with the law. [68]
Since 1994, Tarpon Springs has been unhappy with the foundation for trying to secretly partner with Columbia/HCA Healthcare without getting input from the community. [69] [70]
In early July 1995, the Tarpon Springs Ministerial Association intervened between the two feuding parties. The city and the foundation were not communicating to each other. And a three question referendum that was scheduled for July 25 was cancelled. [71]
In late October 1995, the Tarpon Springs Hospital Foundation sued the city by refusing to pay $12,000 in bonds that it owed to the Health Facilities Authority. It did this after it received a letter from the city attorney ordering them to repay the bonds in thirty days or risk defaulting on their lease of Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital. [72] [73] The lawsuit filed by the foundation asks the court to clear up the confusing lease agreement with the city and it also wants the city to leave it alone until it lease expires in 2021. [3] [73] In return Tarpon Springs counter-sued the Tarpon Springs Hospital Foundation to have more control over Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital by cancelling the lease with the foundation. [3] [70] [74] Also the foundation sued the Health Facilities Authority when it tried to force the hospital to repay the bonds. [16] In return the Health Facilities Authority counter-sued the foundation. [74] Both the Tarpon Springs and the Health Facilities Authority asked to have the lawsuits dismissed, the sixth circuit court Judge Crocket Farnell rejected their request. [73]
In late October 1996, Judge Crocket Farnell refused Tarpon Springs request to have the Tarpon Springs Hospital Foundation reimburse the city for its attorney's fee. [75]
By early February 1998, the attorney fees for the three parties were: Tarpon Springs Hospital Foundation $1,256,000; Health Facilities Authority $100,000 and Tarpon Springs $428,081. [9]
In early June 1998, Judge Crocket Farnell ordered the Tarpon Springs Hospital Foundation to obey the Florida Public Records Law and the Florida Sunshine Law. He also ordered the foundation to pay the Health Facilities Authority's attorney fees which had increased to $200,000. He also ruled that the foundation had to pay the $28 million bonds that it owes to the Health Facilities Authority. The judge also supported the Tarpon Springs 30 days notice to the foundation to leave the property if they defaulted on the lease. The city commission government and the authority both praised the judges decision. [76] On June 10, 1998, the Tarpon Springs Hospital Foundation appealed the ruling by Judge Crockett Farnell, their reason was that he overlooked a new state law on "public hospitals". Both Tarpon Springs and the Health Facilities Authority responded by filing motions claiming that Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital is not a public hospital and that the ruling should not be changed. [74] The new state law passed two days before Judge Crocket Farnell made his decision and he was unaware of the new law. [74] [77]
In early September 1998, Judge Crocket Farnell heard the appeals from the involved parties. [77] In late September 1998, Judge Crocket Farnell reversed his decision requiring the Tarpon Springs Hospital FOundation to obey the Florida Public Records law and the Florida Sunshine Law. He did this after hearing about the new law from the foundation. After the ruling Tarpon Springs and the hospital agreed that the lawsuit between the city and the foundation might be over. All totatl $4 million was spent on attorney's fees. [78]
From 1993 to 2012, the hospital had a partnership with The Tarpon Springs Shepherd Center to provide Thanksgiving and Christmas meals to the poor. [79] [80] [81]
On September 9, 2017, Florida Hospital North Pinellas under a mandatory evacuation order due to Hurricane Irma. The hospitals patients were moved by ambulance to Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel and Florida Hospital Zephyrhills. [82] [83]
On September 26, 2022, AdventHealth North Pinellas under a mandatory evacuation order due to Hurricane Ian. It had 51 of its patients moved by ambulance to AdventHealth Tampa and 23 patients to AdventHealth nursing homes in Pasco County and Pinellas County. [84] [85] [86]
On August 28, 2023, the hospital under a mandatory evacuation order due to Hurricane Idalia. It had 60 patients moved by ambulance to other AdventHealth hospitals. [87] [88] [89] [90]
In December 2012, Florida Hospital North Pinellas won the HIMSS Analytics Stage 7 Award for its electronic health record. It became the second hospital in Florida to win this award, the first was Florida Hospital Flagler. [91] [92] [93] [94]
In late November 2012, Florida Hospital North Pinellas received the "Large Business of the Year" award from the Tarpon Springs Chamber of Commerce. [95] [96] [97]
In late June 2013, Florida Hospital North Pinellas won the silver award from Healthcare Advertising Awards for its "I Choose" advertising campaign. [98] [99]
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