ARCADIA, Fla. \u2014 DeSoto County’s only hospital will have new management. <\/p>\n
WATCH: FOX 4’s Hunter Walterman speaks with Tampa General CEO John Couris about the future of DeSoto Memorial Hopsital: <\/p>\n
UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT: Tampa General to operate DeSoto County’s only hospital<\/p>\n
The DeSoto Memorial Hospital board accepted a lease agreement with Tampa General Hospital on Monday, after a months-long process that led to community speculation. <\/p>\n
“I think it means that we’re going to be able to treat more people here,” DeSoto Memorial CEO Vicent Sica told FOX 4. “You know, we’re going to have better access to some of the specialty care physicians.”<\/p>\n
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WFTX<\/p>\n
DeSoto Memorial CEO Vicent Sica speaks with FOX 4 at DeSoto Memorial Hospital in Arcadia, Fla. on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. <\/p>\n
Tampa General pledged to invest at least $45 million into the hospital. The lease agreement is for 49 years, at $10 a year. Tampa General has the same arrangement with the Hillsborough County Hospital Authority, according to TGH general counsel James Kennedy. The agreement includes an option to purchase. <\/p>\n
Like many rural hospitals, DeSoto Memorial has challenges. Sica said DeSoto Memorial faces uncertainty over future Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements, which accounts for the vast majority of the hospital’s revenue. <\/p>\n
About 50% of DeSoto Memorial’s revenue comes from Medicare, according to DeSoto Memorial spokesperson Sarah Hipp. Roughly 15% comes from Medicaid. In July, President Donald Trump signed the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill,’ which included significant cuts<\/a> to Medicaid.<\/p>\n WFTX<\/p>\n A patient walks into DeSoto Memorial Hospital’s emergency room.<\/p>\n The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated<\/a> the bill would cut Medicaid funding by $911 billion over the next ten years. <\/p>\n DeSoto Memorial must also replace an aging staff, Sica said, and pay for an expensive upgrade to it’s medical records system. An independent audit <\/a>found the hospital lost $500,000 last year. <\/p>\n “Sometimes it’s difficult for us to compete with the coastal hospitals that, you know, are gonna pay a little higher wage and have a little better benefits,” Sica previously told FOX 4.<\/a><\/p>\n Tampa General said it would hire DeSoto Memorial employees, including medical staff, who are “in good standing” and pass a “routine employee screening.” Tampa General CEO John Couris told FOX 4 he wants to expand the hospital’s workforce. <\/p>\n “Our goal is to retain the leadership and grow the staff at the facility as we grow and expand,” Couris said. “So we’re very excited about this work. It’s all about growth and all about supporting and building a network of care across the state.” <\/p>\n Tampa General Hospital<\/p>\n Tampa General Hospital CEO John Couris.<\/p>\n The deal comes after a months-long process that included conversations with multiple healthcare systems. It started after Orlando-based AdventHealth approached DeSoto Memorial about a sale, according to Hipp. The hospital then launched a Request for Proposal<\/a> process to receive bids from any interested party, per state law.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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