Rival Set To Challenge Planned Wesley Chapel Hospital

By Nicola M. White and Julia Ferrante, Tampa Tribune, Fla.

Jul. 16–WESLEY CHAPEL — Opposition to plans to build central Pasco County’s first hospital is expected to mount this week, when a rival health care team with its own proposal is expected to file a formal appeal with the state.

That appeal would come on the heels of a setback last week at the hands of Pasco County commissioners, who denied a land-use change critical to moving the hospital project forward.

BayCare Health System officials, who have visions of building their own hospital in Wesley Chapel, announced last week they plan to petition state regulators to reverse their decision and allow them to build a hospital in this fast-growing bedroom community.

They have until Friday to file a petition with the state Agency for Health Care Administration, which last month endorsed a proposal from Adventist Health System and University Community Hospital; Adventist and UCH plan to build an 80-bed facility on State Road 54, across from Saddlebrook Resort.

BayCare and the University of South Florida want to build a 130-bed teaching hospital off Bruce B. Downs Boulevard in the Seven Oaks development. The facility, which would pair USF medical students with professionals, would better address the area’s shortage of health care professionals and increase competition among area health care providers, BayCare Chief Executive Stephen R. Mason said in a release last week.

“Our affiliation with USF Health on a proposed teaching hospital holds tremendous potential for improving health care services for Pasco residents,” Mason said.

If BayCare or someone else files a petition challenging the certificate of need AHCA issued for the Adventist-UCH proposal, the state Division of Administrative Hearings would assign an administrative law judge to the matter; the judge would set a hearing date and present his findings to AHCA, which would make the final decision.

Mike Schultz, the interim CEO of the UCH-Adventist venture, said he hopes the state sticks to its original decision.

UCH and Adventist officials also must decide how to proceed in light of last week’s vote, in which they asked county commissioners, sitting as the Local Planning Agency, to rezone the property where they plan to build the hospital.

After neighbors complained that the hospital would adversely affect their quality of life and increase traffic along the already busy State Road 54, commissioners suggested UCH and Adventist officials look for another location. But an AHCA official said the certificate of need issued for the UCH-Adventist project could not simply be moved from one site to another.

The Local Planning Agency, which includes the county commission and one school board member, makes recommendations to the county commission; so UCH and Adventist officials will have one more chance to plead their case.

Reporter Nicola M. White can be reached at (813) 779-4613 or nwhite1@ tampatrib.com. Reporter Julia Ferrante can be reached at (813) 948-4220 or jferrante@tampatrib.com.

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