Tampa hospital completes $300M acquisition, forms new unit

Tampa General Hospital says the transaction of acquiring Bravera Health network is complete.

Tampa General paid almost $300 million for three Bravera systems in July, a sign that the private sector isn't the only sector eyeing growth in Hernando and Citrus counties.

The centers are in Spring Hill and Brooksville, both of Hernando, and Seven Rivers in Citrus County. The hospitals, clinical operations, services, providers and team members that were previously owned and operated by certain subsidiaries of Community Health Systems will now form TGH North, a division of Tampa General, the hospital giant says.

"With the creation of TGH North, we're investing in this growing, vibrant region," says Steve Short, EVP and president of TGH North. "The communities in Citrus and Hernando counties can continue to depend on their local hospitals, while benefiting from the cutting-edge research conducted at TGH and USF Health, and access to a broader network of providers that offer rare and complex specialized care."

The acquisition marked the largest expansion for Tampa General in recent years, according to Tampa General officials, and is "the latest in a series of strategic efforts to expand access to world-class health care across the state of Florida and transform the nation's health care landscape." 

"By bringing the Bravera Health network into our system and coming together as one organization, we will be stronger in our united mission to transform health care for all Floridians," says CEO John Couris of Tampa General Hospital.

With the expansion of Tampa General's academic health system, residents in Citrus and Hernando counties will benefit from the local care they have grown to depend on, while gaining access to a broader network of providers, experts and specialists, Tampa General officials say.

In partnership with the University of South Florida's Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa General will offer clinical care, teaching and research, including "cutting-edge technologies, resources and therapies," to the communities they serve, Tampa General says.

The creation of TGH North, through Tampa General's acquisition of the Bravera Health network, includes:

• TGH Spring Hill (formerly Bravera Health Spring Hill)
• TGH Brooksville (formerly Bravera Health Brooksville)
• TGH Crystal River (formerly Bravera Health Seven Rivers)
• One freestanding emergency room
• Two ambulatory surgery centers
• And 10 primary care and specialty care clinics

With the addition of TGH North, Tampa General says its academic health system now encompasses six hospitals, more than 150 care locations and nearly 14,000 team members and providers.

Tampa General is a 1,040-bed, not-for-profit, academic health system. It is one of the largest hospitals in Florida and has the region's only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care.