Tarpon Springs Hospital Foundation, Inc. (doing business as AdventHealth North Pinellas) is a non-profit hospital campus in Tarpon Springs, Florida, United States. It became part of the AdventHealth hospital network following a merger with University Community Health in September 2010. The medical facility is a tertiary and primary stroke center that has multiple specialties.
In the 1990s, there was a feud over the hospital between Tarpon Springs and the Tarpon Springs Hospital Foundation. Before merging the hospital had been in debt and owed over $31 million, due to this Standard & Poor's gave it a "junk bond level". AdventHealth North Pinellas has been evacuated four times due to hurricanes since 2017.
History 1927-1950s In 1927, Tarpon Springs had Tarpon Springs Memorial Hospital built on land owned by the city for $25,000 in bonds. It had 12 beds and was two stories tall. 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. 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.
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. In 1947, the hospital changed its name from Tarpon Springs Memorial Hospital to Tarpon Springs General Hospital. The same year the association renamed itself the Tarpon Springs Hospital Foundation. The by-laws of the foundation were written by the city. 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. 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.
Beginning in 1947, the foundation started paying a 5-year lease for $1 with Tarpon Springs, while the city maintained the hospital and paid its utility bills worth a total of $3,000 to $12,000 a year. In the 1950s, the foundation created a bank account for hospital revenues and took over the management of the hospital from Tarpon Springs. The city purchased for Tarpon Springs General Hospital typewriters, mattresses and cardiac monitors. And also continued to give the hospital money for its budget.
1960-1988 In 1960, the foundation took plans to the city commission government for a new 50-bed hospital (later it was increased to 67-beds). 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 hospital's first administrator to make it self-sustaining. In 1966, a new hospital was built on the site of the old one for $1,249,000. A federal grant contributed $850,000 towards the construction of the new hospital. In 1968, the foundation agreed to pay the hospital's water and sewer bills, it also asked Tarpon Springs to put in a lawn sprinkling system for $1,750.
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.
In 1981, the city created the Tarpon Springs Health Facilities Authority to issue bonds to the hospital and to lease it to the Tarpon Springs Hospital Foundation. 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. The foundation also paid off other debts that Tarpon Springs had from earlier hospital projects. 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.
1991-1994 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. In early December 1994, Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital announced that it signed a letter to become a partner with Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corporation. It was chosen after looking at seven other hospital networks. 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. It would have to go before voters in a special referendum to decide if it would join the hospital network.
1995 In late January, at a special meeting with the city commission government some residents of Tarpon Springs were not persuaded of the partnership with Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corporation . While other residents and commissioners needed more information before deciding. In early April, the city commission government terminated the partnership that Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital wanted with Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corporation with a 4-to-1 vote. By doing so there was no special referendum for voters. 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. 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. Tarpon Springs spent $137,000 to terminate the partnership that Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital wanted with Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corporation, while the Tarpon Springs Hospital Foundation spent $449,000 to make it happen.
In early September, 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 in early November of that year. In late September, 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. In early October, the hospital put 30-second ads on television and radio. Also ads were put in the local newspaper and direct mailing was done. In early November, 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 In early November, voters rejected a proposal at a referendum to sell Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital to a hospital network.
1998-1999 In early March, 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. 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. 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. 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.
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. 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. In early June, 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. In early July, 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.
In early August 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. In late October, 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. In early November, 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. In a referendum voters would decide on the lease to Choice Health Alliance.
2000 In early February, the lawyers of Choice Health Alliance and the city lawyer both submitted paperwork to Tarpon Springs for a forty year lease. In late March, 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.
In late March, 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. 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. Before Choice Health Alliance was dropped there had been rumors that the partnership had soured.
In late April, 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.