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Building A South County Hospital

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 16, 2008

A judge's recommendation last month that St. Joseph's Hospital should build a new regional hospital on Big Bend Road puts a crinkle in South Bay Hospital's plans to build across from the site.

The state Agency for Health Care Administration has already awarded South Bay's petition to build on Big Bend, but now the agency will have the chance to reconsider its decision.

It makes more sense for St. Joseph's to build in South County. South Hillsborough needs a regional hospital in addition to the South Bay community hospital in Sun City that residents fear will be closed if the company opens a regional hospital.

The facts are the population of southern Hillsborough is growing as are the numbers of patients admitted to nearby hospitals like Brandon Regional and Tampa General. Administrative Law Judge J.D. Parrish sited as much in his ruling.

Moreover, more hospital beds are needed in South County. AHCA's decision denying St. Joseph's initial attempt to build there was based on population data in 2012. Projections are the population will double by 2025.

It's true that South Bay parent HCA could choose to close the Sun City hospital anyway, but why would it? The hospital is a profit center. As community activists pushing to keep it open point out, South Bay has an 80 percent or more occupancy rate. It is well utilized.

And even though some patient satisfaction surveys have put South Bay near the bottom of the region in terms of services provided, a regional hospital would bring competition to the area and, theoretically, better care to Sun City residents.

Of course looming and ready for a fight is Tampa General Hospital, which opposes any South County hospital as adverse to its interests. It is concerned the regional hospital would take patients who would otherwise travel to TGH. It has challenged all rulings in favor of South Bay.

Hillsborough's residents don't need too many hospitals, but as the county grows, more beds will be needed. And as this whole process shows, it takes a long time to permit and build a hospital.

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