Florida Construction News staff writer
Florida State University and Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH) have announce the site whre an academic health center will be built.
They also announced the formation of a community transformation committee to help guide the two institutions.
“FSU Health is a total game-changer for the region and for the state of Florida,” said Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson said at a news conference on Wednesday. “When I met with President McCullough about his goals, I challenged him to dream big – and he certainly has.
“I am proud to join in this significant first step on their journey to create a world-class research, clinical and health care center.”
The Legislature awarded FSU $125 million in 2022 to build an “academic health center of the future” and TMH offered the university a parcel of land on the TMH campus to build the facility.
The center will create about 130,000 gross sq. ft. of medical and research-related space distributed over several floors. It will accommodate an estimated 30 principal researchers focused on clinical trials, data-driven precision health, digital health and clinical informatics, and clinical and translational research.
“Universities don’t get opportunities like this every day,” said FSU President Richard McCullough. “We want to deliver unparalleled clinical care with our partners at TMH, conduct impactful research, and provide outstanding educational programs.
“This combination of clinical care, research that informs treatment, and medical education is what makes an academic health center special.”
FSU and TMH are also partnering with The St. Joe Company on a health care campus in Panama City Beach, featuring an 80,000-sq. ft. medical office building slated to open in 2024 and a 100-bed hospital to be completed in 2027. The three organizations celebrated a construction kickoff for the campus in January.
“Bringing advanced clinical research to Tallahassee allows us to strengthen the health care platform at Tallahassee Memorial by providing access to services not typically available at community hospitals,” said TMH President and CEO Mark O’Bryant. “Establishing this academic health center in partnership with FSU will create a vibrancy within our medical community that will enhance our ability to recruit highly skilled physicians and medical professionals to our region.”