Bert Fish Medical Center Agreement – FAQ

Q: What is the “Agreement” that Florida Hospital has with Bert Fish Medical Center?

A: The terms of the agreement outline a lease arrangement with an option to buy in five years. If we don’t buy the hospital at that time we can continue the lease for a period of 24 years.
 
Q: What are the financial terms of the agreement?

A: The financial terms of the agreement are based on three main areas: loan repayment, capital infusion and tax reduction. Adventist Health System has committed to pay off the $7.7 million loan from the district, has promised to provide more than $20 million in capital improvements – with one particular investment being IT and CPOE. Tax reductions for residents are projected at 15 percent the first year. All of which represent a significant commitment on all fronts.

Q: How will services change at Bert Fish Memorial Center?

A: Florida Hospital is committed to offering the existing service mix and enhancing programs and technology offered in the community.

Q: Will the cancer center be closed down?

A: No. Providing our communities with a comprehensive cancer offering is a priority of Florida Hospital at each of our four existing cancer center locations in Volusia/Flagler. The same dedication will be shown to not only maintaining cancer care services today, but also in investing in new technology and researching what service offering enhancements are appropriate for the New Smyrna Beach community.

Q: Will the Bert Fish Medical Center name change?

A: The agreement does NOT require us to change or keep the name. Effective July 1, the name remains Bert Fish Medical Center, and they will retain their facility logo. We will begin marketing Bert Fish Medical Center as a part of integrated network, and they will be included in our division logo. With that said, Bert Fish Medical Center has joined the Florida Hospital network, and at some time it will likely make sense for the facility to carry the name of the network as we work towards more integration.

Q: What will the organizational structure look like and how soon will it go in to effect?

A: Currently a search is underway for a new CEO for Bert Fish Medical Center from internal Florida Hospital candidates. Bob Williams, the existing CEO will stay on during a six-month transition period. The CFO/COO/CNO will all stay on. From a corporate structure standpoint, Bert Fish Medical Center becomes the 18th hospital in Florida and 38th Adventist Health Center hospital. They join five other Volusia/Flagler facilities in our network of care.

Q: What’s in this agreement for Florida Hospital/Adventist Health System?

A: The agreement with Bert Fish Medical Center is a natural partnership, extending our network of care to the entire Volusia/Flagler region. With Bert Fish Medical Center as a very viable long-term partner, we are now able to extend our Christian mission of hope, health and healing to a community with minimal prior presence.

Bert Fish Medical Center – Stats at a Glance

Located in the city of New Smyrna Beach, Bert Fish Medical Center is a 112-bed hospital not-for-profit acute care facility with strong outpatient programs both at the main building in New Smyrna Beach and at the outpatient center in the city of Edgewater.

The primary service area for this community hospital is home to more than 50,000 residents and thousands of annual visitors in Southeast Volusia County. Bert Fish Medical Center offers a wide range of services including ICU, PCU, surgery program, radiology, an oncology center and one of the busiest Emergency Departments of any hospital its size.

Nearly 700 medical center employees and physicians is complimented by the donated time of 300 dedicated volunteers who live full or part time in SE Volusia County.

Governance

The Southeast Volusia Hospital District (the “District”) owns and operates Bert Fish Medical Center, Inc. (the “Medical Center”), a not-for-profit acute care hospital. The District is a special taxing authority created by Chapter 24961, Laws of Florida, Special Act of 1947, as amended. The District has boundaries which generally encompass the southeast portion of Volusia County and includes the cities of New Smyrna Beach, Edgewater, and Oak Hill as well as unincorporated portions of the county to a point west of Florida State Route 415. The District owns and operates the Bert Fish Medical Center, Inc.

There are seven members on the governing board for the District (referred to as Commissioners). All are appointed to their position and staggered terms by the Governor of the State of Florida. The District Commissioners also serve as the Medical Center’s Board of Directors. As such, the Medical Center is considered a component unit of the District and is blended with the financial statements of the District.

History

The hospital began operations on October 1, 1954, as one of three hospitals in Volusia and Seminole Counties created by the Bert Fish Testamentary Trust (the “Fish Trust”). Judge Bert Fish was a philanthropist who, in 1941, declared his intention to use his earnings for the benefit of his neighbors. His generosity created healthcare facilities and, still today, provides healthcare education programs in our county.

In 1966, the Trustees of the Bert Fish Trust transferred ownership and operation of the Medical Center to the District under the condition that it would become a tax-supported hospital which continued to embrace the original mission of making healthcare available to the indigent of Volusia County.

The entity, Bert Fish Medical Center, Inc. was established for the purpose of operating the acute care hospital and other related facilities owned by the District. During 1995 the employees of the District were transferred to the Medical Center and the District entered into a 25-year capital lease agreement with the Medical Center.

When it first opened in 1954, the hospital facility contained 20 beds and increased to 54 over a period of time. The part of the campus representing the core of the current Medical Center was completed in 1974 with a capacity of 74 beds. In 1980 a fourth floor was added to the facility, and a much-needed new intensive care unit was completed, bringing the then Medical Center’s licensed bed complement to 116. The Medical Center expanded again in 1988, adding an emergency room and enlarging the radiology department. The Medical Center offers a range of services consistent with a strong community hospital and is currently licensed for 112 beds, all of which are available and staffed based upon occupancy