Things are happening with the Key West hospital, which could be under new management in the next few years. Or the same company could still be running the hospital, but under a revised lease that’s more suited to the community’s medical needs.
The year 2029 brings the end of a 30-year lease under which the Tennessee-based Community Health Systems (CHS) has operated Lower Keys Medical Center on College Road, its affiliated doctors’ offices as well as its mental health and substance abuse treatment facility at the former dePoo Hospital on Kennedy Drive.
A group of concerned residents known as Our Hospital Key West, as well as a citizens committee, have persuaded the local hospital district board, whose members are appointed by the governor, to seek proposals from different potential hospital operators who want to run Lower Keys Medical Center rather than simply renew the lease with CHS and be tethered to that company for another 30 years.
The Lower Florida Keys Hospital District Board, now chaired by local attorney Erica Sterling, has hired consultants and lawyers to draft a request for proposals (RFP) that will solicit offers from health care companies and nonprofits interested in running Lower Keys Medical Center and its affiliated practices. Once finalized, the RFP will specify what services and investments the community expects from its hospital manager in exchange for the opportunity to run a profitable community hospital.
But before the RFP is issued, the hospital district board voted on Jan. 6 to commission an independent assessment of the aging hospital facility on College Road, which many people have said is in dire need of significant upgrades or replacement.
“Such an assessment will be beneficial for companies that are interested in pursuing an operating agreement to run Lower Keys Medical Center,” said community activist Spencer Krenke of the nonprofit group Our Hospital Key West (ohkw.org).
At the Jan. 6 meeting, commissioners decided it would be practical to delay the issuance of an RFP until the facility condition assessment is complete. That assessment is expected to take about 60 days.
“Our Hospital Key West is incredibly pleased with the progress of the Jan. 6 meeting … to advance an objective RFP process for consideration of our next hospital operator,” Krenke said after the meeting. “In particular, new board leadership Erica Sterling as chairwoman, as well as a unanimous consensus from all commissioners on the engagement of RFP consulting and facility assessment firms, is incredibly positive towards the necessary efforts to meet what’s in the best interest of our community.”
The current and working draft of the RFP is available at ohkw.org and includes draft criteria for suitors, and language addressing the aging facility, which was built around 1960. “The opportunity exists to develop a new, purpose-built health facility,” the draft RFP states. “This presents a chance to optimize design and operations for the hospital. The board may explore grant funding or other sources to support a potential contribution toward the new facility’s development.”
Once the facility assessment is complete, its results will be incorporated into the RFP. Potential operators will then have a specific amount of time to submit their proposals before the hospital district board members evaluate and rank each before beginning negotiations with whichever company they prefer.
