Florida State University and Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH) have officially partnered to create an academic medical center in Tallahassee, marking a milestone in a vision years in the making. The new entity will be known as FSU Health.

While final agreements are still being worked out, the partnership is set to transfer TMH’s assets — including its 2-million-square-foot hospital, 75-acre property, and clinics — to Florida State under a long-term lease arrangement. TMH will continue operating as an independent nonprofit with its current leadership, board oversight, and employees remaining in place.

FSU President Richard McCullough and TMH CEO Mark O’Bryant called the collaboration a “landmark agreement” that blends community-centered care with academic excellence. They emphasized that the move will keep the hospital locally controlled, expand access to specialized care, and provide new opportunities for medical research, education, and careers.

Plans include strengthening TMH’s role as a regional health hub, expanding advanced services, and fueling job and economic growth. Importantly, hospital staff will remain TMH employees, not state employees, and patients will continue seeing their own doctors.

The project builds on earlier initiatives, including a strategic health partnership in 2021 and the launch of the FSU Health Research Center in 2022, backed by $125 million in state funding. That facility, slated to open next year, will house laboratories and patient care services. Florida State is also developing a 180-bed hospital in Panama City Beach under the FSU Health brand.

Leaders from both institutions will present their plans to the city of Tallahassee, which owns TMH and must approve the agreement.

Source: Chief Healthcare Executive