TALLAHASSEE, Fla., (April 25, 2022) – Leaders from Calhoun Liberty Hospital Association, Inc. (CLHA) and Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH) announced today they have taken a proactive step towards creating a formal partnership model to enhance service capabilities and resources available to CLHA.
The institutions plan to jointly create a limited liability company owned by Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, Inc. and Calhoun Liberty Hospital Association, Inc. (CLHA). This LLC will be governed by a Board of Managers consisting of individuals appointed by each owner. This agreement is expected to be signed in early May.
The newly created company will continue to utilize Alliant Management Services to provide hospital management services in support of the day-to-day operations. CLHA has been under such agreement with Alliant since September 2016.
“Calhoun Liberty Hospital has been a vital part of the community, serving both Calhoun and Liberty counties for almost 60 years, thanks to our dedicated team of healthcare professionals and physicians,” said Mark Plummer, Chair of the CLHA Board of Trustees. “We are singularly focused on doing everything possible to secure the best future for local healthcare for both Calhoun and Liberty county. We recognize the challenges in managing the complexities of a constantly evolving healthcare industry and are excited to embark upon this journey, which will ensure our high-quality, local healthcare continues for decades to come.”
“This new affiliation with Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare will help us continue to provide high-quality care our patients expect but will also allow us to extend access to specialty services currently not available to our community,” said Chris Jepsen, Administrator of Calhoun Liberty Hospital. “Our community deserves the best healthcare and this partnership will allow us to do just that.”
“Healthcare is transforming, and rural hospitals are struggling to keep up with the clinical, technical and strategic innovation to deliver tomorrow's healthcare today. This partnership will allow TMH to share resources and support CLHA through information and resource sharing,” said Mark O’Bryant, President & CEO of Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare. "For patients, this partnership means you will have expanded services closer to home.”
“We’re very excited about this next chapter for Calhoun-Liberty Hospital,” said Jim Coleman, President & CEO of Alliant Management Services. “A strategic collaboration with Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare will support Alliant’s mission to help rural hospitals identify and achieve sustainable business models. This collaboration will further strengthen the surrounding communities allowing for solutions to address the clinical and operating challenges in rural/small markets. We’ve experienced such positive outcomes in similar arrangements where Alliant is presently managing at Doctors’ Memorial Hospital (Perry, FL) and Weems Memorial Hospital (Apalachicola, FL).”
“We are only in the beginning stage of this journey and are excited about what this may mean for the future of healthcare in our area,” said Plummer. “We’re committed to delivering professional, courteous, and compassionate care to our patients and this new affiliation will not impact the employment of our staff. We will keep our community, patients, and staff informed every step of the way.”
The colleagues of Calhoun Liberty Hospital will remain employees of CLHA and both TMH and CLHA will continue to operate as independent organizations.
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About Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare
Founded in 1948, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH) is a private, not-for-profit community healthcare system committed to transforming care, advancing health, and improving lives with an ultimate vision to elevate the standards of healthcare practice, quality and innovation in the region. Serving a 17-county area in North Florida and South Georgia, TMH is comprised of a 772-bed acute care hospital, a surgery and adult ICU center, a psychiatric hospital, multiple specialty care centers, three residency programs, 38 affiliated physician practices and partnerships with Doctors’ Memorial Hospital, Florida State University College of Medicine, UF Health, Weems Memorial Hospital and Wolfson Children’s Hospital. For more information, visit TMH.ORG.
