Tampa General Hospital and Lakeside Medical Center Team Up to Enhance Health Care Access in Rural Palm Beach County
Tampa General to provide strategic, operational and administrative support to Lakeside Medical Center.
TAMPA, Fla., March 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Tampa General Hospital and the Health Care District of Palm Beach County reached an agreement earlier this year for Tampa General to provide administrative leadership, operational management and strategic support for Lakeside Medical Center, the Health Care District's public teaching hospital in Belle Glade, Florida. Together, the two organizations will work to enhance quality and increase access to care in the rural areas of Palm Beach County.
Tampa General's work with Lakeside Medical Center marks an expansion of Tampa General's existing network of providers and services in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast, which already includes primary care, cancer care, digestive health, kidney care, radiation, oncology and general surgery.
"With this agreement, we're extending the strategic, operational and clinical expertise we offer at Tampa General to support the leadership, providers and teams at Lakeside Medical Center and expand access to world-class care in the Glades," said John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General Hospital. "It's the best of both worlds – high quality care close to home."
Through a Management and Administrative Services Agreement with the Health District of Palm Beach County effective February 1, Tampa General will provide administrative management support for Lakeside Medical Center. The objectives of the agreement are to:
- Enhance quality of care;
- Strengthen clinical training, recruitment and retention; and
- Improve financial status.
"This strategic partnership combines the strengths of both organizations to advance access to high-quality health care for underserved populations," said Darcy J. Davis, Health Care District of Palm Beach County President and CEO. "By joining forces with Tampa General, the health and wellness of our Glades communities will prosper for generations."
Tampa General appointed Ron Doncaster vice president of business operations and integration at Lakeside Medical Center. In this role, Doncaster will oversee operations, facilitate service integration, supervise personnel and offer recommendations for innovative programming and expansion opportunities.
Doncaster takes on this role with decades of experience in health care leadership and administration, having managed operations at some of the nation's most prestigious health care systems, including Mass General Brigham. Most recently, he served as Interim Chief Operating Officer at Tampa General, overseeing all clinical and operational strategies and managing partnerships with key constituents.
"Our number one goal is to meet the needs of the community," said Doncaster. "With improved delivery models and expanded access to specialists, we can elevate the level of care available in the community without losing the personal service only a local hospital can provide."
Under the agreement, the Health Care District of Palm Beach County maintains ownership of the hospital and its assets. The agreement does not impact the rights or obligations of Health Care District employees assigned to Lakeside Medical Center.
Tampa General is one of the largest and most innovative academic health systems in the nation. The system features more than 150 care locations across the Sunshine State. TGH is ranked #2 in Florida and a top 50 hospital nationally by U.S. News & World Report.
In fiscal year 2022, Tampa General provided a net community benefit of $240.3 million in health care for underinsured patients, community education and financial support to Tampa Bay community health organizations.
ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL
Tampa General Hospital, a 981-bed, not-for-profit, academic health system, is one of the largest hospitals in America and delivers world-class care as the region's only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care. Tampa General Hospital is the highest-ranked hospital in the market in U.S. News & World Report's 2024-2025 Best Hospitals, with two medical specialties ranking among the top 20 in the nation and eight medical specialties ranking among the top 50 best hospital programs in the United States. Tampa General Hospital has been designated as a model of excellence by the 2022 Fortune/Merative 100 Top Hospitals list. The academic health system's commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by three prestigious Forbes magazine rankings – in the top 100 nationally in the 2024 America's Best Large Employers, the top 50 in Florida in the 2024 America's Best Employers by State and the 2023 America's Best Employers for Women. Tampa General is the safety net hospital for the region, caring for everyone regardless of their ability to pay, and in fiscal year 2022, provided a net community benefit of approximately $240.3 million in the form of health care for underinsured patients, community education, and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It was the nation's busiest adult solid organ transplant center in 2024 and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With five medical helicopters, Tampa General Hospital transports critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care they need. Tampa General houses a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center, and its 32-bed Neuroscience, Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It also is home to the Muma Children's Hospital at TGH, the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed neonatal intensive care unit, and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General Hospital's footprint includes TGH North, which is comprised of three hospitals and several outpatient locations in Citrus and Hernando counties, 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, two TGH Outpatient Centers, TGH Virtual Health, and 20 TGH Imaging outpatient radiology centers throughout Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Tampa Bay area residents also receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care powered by the Fast Track network of clinics. To see a medical care professional live anytime, anywhere on a smartphone, tablet or computer, visit Virtual Health | Tampa General Hospital (tgh.org). As one of the largest hospitals in the country, Tampa General Hospital is the first in Florida to partner with GE Healthcare and open a clinical command center that provides real-time situational awareness to improve and better coordinate patient care at a lower cost. For more information, go to www.tgh.org.
ABOUT THE HEALTH CARE DISTRICT OF PALM BEACH COUNTY
The Health Care District of Palm Beach County is an independent special taxing district that has served as a healthcare safety net for 36 years to fill in gaps in access to healthcare services. This unique healthcare system covers the entire county and provides diverse services such as nine community health centers (Federally Qualified Health Centers) which serve everyone regardless of ability to pay; school health teams in 172 public schools; a Trauma Hawk aeromedical helicopter program; a rural, public teaching hospital, Lakeside Medical Center; a skilled nursing center; a ground ambulance program for Health Care District patients needing a higher level of care and the county's Trauma Agency, which ensures quality outcomes within the county's trauma system and leads initiatives to prevent traumatic injury.
Media Contact:
Amanda Bevis
(202) 680-9262 (cell)
amanda@redhillsfl.com
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tampa-general-hospital-and-lakeside-medical-center-team-up-to-enhance-health-care-access-in-rural-palm-beach-county-302401363.html
SOURCE Tampa General Hospital