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12.31.12 - State of Florida scrambling in wake of trauma center ruling

After an appeals court tossed the rules Florida uses to approve new trauma centers, state health officials are scrambling to rewrite the approval process.

12.26.12 - Top Stories No. 5: Munroe hospital tax fails, private operator now sought

In November, Marion County voters were asked whether they wanted to grant the Marion County Hospital District's request for a new property tax to combat declining revenues.

12.24.12 - Florida to revamp trauma facility approval; Shands files another lawsuit

A day after getting hit with another legal challenge to the opening of a trauma center, the Florida Department of Health on Friday began an effort to revamp the way the state approves new trauma facilities.

12.21.12 - Munroe, Shands seek closure of Ocala Regional's trauma center

Two weeks after Ocala Regional Medical Center opened the doors of its Level II trauma center, competing hospitals are filing court petitions to close it down.

12.13.12 - Florida's Munroe Medical Center to Purchase 20% of Surgery Center of Ocala

Munroe Regional Medical Center in Ocala, Fla., has agreed to purchase a 20 percent share of Surgery Center of Ocala's business, according to an Ocala report.

12.12.12 - Munroe Regional buys share of Surgery Center of Ocala's business

The leadership of Munroe Regional Medical Center, hoping to expand Munroe's share of the outpatient surgery market, agreed this week to buy a 20 percent share of Surgery Center of Ocala's business.

12.11.12 - Munroe Regional Enters into a Formal Affiliation with the Surgery Center of Ocala

Board of Directors approved Munroe Regional Medical Center moving forward to enter into a formal affiliation with the Surgery Center of Ocala, located at 3241 Southwest 34th Street in Ocala, Florida. As a result of this affiliation, Munroe Regional will become an owner in the Surgery Center of Ocala.

12.11.12 - Munroe Regional Medical Center Affiliates With Surgery Center of Ocala

Ocala, Fla.-based Munroe Regional Medical Center's board of directors has approved an affiliation between the hospital and the Surgery Center of Ocala (Fla.).

12.10.12 - Two nonprofits make late play to lease Munroe

Two last-minute not-for-profit health care companies could be joining the group wanting to lease Munroe Regional Medical Center.

12.08.12 - Something we can't ignore | Letters to the editor for Dec. 8, 2012

The same people who voted no for fees for our children's education in August are the same people who voted no on Nov. 6 to save our acclaimed hospital, Munroe Regional Medical Center.

12.07.12 - Munroe Regional Medical Center Achieves Heart Failure Accreditation

Munroe Regional Medical Center is pleased to announce it has received Heart Failure Accreditation from the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care (SCPC).

12.07.12 - '60 Minutes' report raises concerns for Munroe

Trustees for Munroe Regional Medical Center admitted they are concerned about a recent "60 Minutes" segment that raised questions about the admission practices of one of the companies vying to take control of Munroe.

11.30.12 - HMA, which seeks to run Munroe, will be focus of '60 Minutes' report

Health Management Associates, one of the two companies competing for the lease to operate Munroe Regional Medical Center in Ocala, will be the subject of a “60 Minutes” piece Sunday questioning whether the hospital chain was too aggressive in admitting patients to its facilities.

11.25.12 - Letters to the Editor for Nov. 25, 2012 | Hospital tax fallacy

In Brad Rogers’ Nov. 18 column, “After the votes,” the point was raised again that many people who voted against the Munroe property tax said they would have voted for it if it had been a sales tax, which supposedly would spread the burden across the whole community.

11.25.12 - Community made Munroe Regional Medical Center what it is today

Rejection by voters of a bond issue to provide Munroe Regional Medical Center with public funds should not be viewed as a reflection on the hospital and its top-rated services. Instead, it was a case of voters letting it be known they oppose paying higher taxes in any fashion, period.

11.16.12 - Munroe Regional Medical Center First in North Central Florida to Perform Single-Site Incision Robotic Surgery to Remove Gallbladder

This morning, a surgical team at Munroe Regional Medical Center performed the first da Vinci® Single-Site™ Cholecystectomy in Marion, Alachua, Citrus and Sumter Counties. The patient’s gallbladder was removed through one tiny incision in the belly button, making the procedure virtually scarless.

11.15.12 - Trustees say full steam ahead on leasing Munroe

Hospital District trustees overseeing Munroe Regional Medical Center agreed Thursday to move forward with plans to lease the public hospital and continue talks with two private health care companies that want to take over its operations.

11.13.12 - Letters to the Editor for Nov. 13, 2012 |The People have Spoken | Munroe & ObamaCare

Despite resistance from some quarters, the citizens of Marion County were given the opportunity to decide the future of their community hospital, Munroe Regional Medical Center, and on election day, they made their choice. Isn't that what we say democracy is all about?

11.11.12 - After failed tax, Munroe officials discuss leasing

Executives and board members at Munroe Regional Medical Center say voters’ rejection of a hospital tax last week strengthens the argument for leasing the public hospital to a private company, and soon.

11.11.12 - Sustainable Munroe

Viable but not sustainable. Those four words came to define Munroe Regional Medical Center’s fiscal condition during a six-year debate about what to do about the hospital’s financial future — a debate that narrowed significantly with Tuesday’s lopsided defeat of a proposed five-year, 1-mill property tax.

11.11.12 - Other Voices: The gift of giving

Our nation and Ocala/Marion County will celebrate National Philanthropy Day on Thursday to, in the words of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, “recognize and pay tribute to the great contributions that philanthropy — and those people active in the philanthropic community — have made to our lives, our communities and our world.”

11.11.12 - March of Dimes honors philanthropic couple and raises more than $70,000

"You name something going on in Marion County, and chances are the Rasburys have had a hand in it," said Sky Wheeler, community director for the March of Dimes. She said in addition to the March of Dimes, the Rasburys have been involved with the Appleton Museum of Art, Munroe Regional Medical Center, the College of Central Florida and the Ocala Royal Dames, just to name a few.

11.08.12 - Future of Munroe Regional Medical Center Uncertain

Marion County voters have declined a proposal to raise taxes to support the non-profit group that currently runs the Munroe Regional Medical Center.

11.08.12 - Hospital bond fails amid ballot clutter

Florida’s 2012 ballot was dominated by the overwhelming length and breadth of 11 constitutional amendments, achieving the passage of only 3 small impact, specialized tax relief measures. Trapped in the carnage of steep amendment losses seems to have been the local measure authorizing the sale of bonds to support the Marion Hospital District, enabling retention of high quality, cost effective Munroe Regional Health Systems which operates Munroe Regional Medical Center for the Marion Hospital District.

11.07.12 - The Villages voters came out strong against the Munroe tax

A new property tax to support the publicly owned Munroe Regional Medical Center was a flop with local voters Tuesday.

11.07.12 - A look at voting trends in Marion County

A new property tax to support the publicly owned Munroe Regional Medical Center was a flop with local voters Tuesday.

11.06.12 - Munroe tax opposed by almost 58 percent of voters

Marion County voters on Tuesday soundly rejected a hospital tax referendum that would have generated $65 million for Munroe Regional Medical Center.

11.04.12 - When minutes matter

A lot of numbers about Munroe Regional Medical Center have been bandied about in recent months, as the community has debated whether or not the community hospital should be given taxpayer support. Most of those numbers have been financial as tax supporters and opponents went back and forth over whether or not Munroe can remain fiscally viable as a publicly owned facility in an ever-changing health care environment.

11.04.12 - Keep our top-rated hospital locally controlled

There has been much misinformation published and aired on the Munroe Regional Medical Center tax referendum by an out-of-town lobbying group. This group wants to influence our local issue, which will not impact them, but could severely impact the citizens of Marion County.

11.04.12 - Letters to the Editor for Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012 | Public vs. private

I believe a critical consideration in the upcoming Marion County Hospital District bond issue has been overlooked amid the din of pro-and-con arguments.

11.02.12 - Marion businesses need some 'venture localists'

Regardless of which side of the Munroe Regional Medical Center bond issue you are on, one thing has become very obvious; there is a lot of money in Marion County that is willing to support an issue.

11.02.12 - Marion businesses need some 'venture localists'

Regardless of which side of the Munroe Regional Medical Center bond issue you are on, one thing has become very obvious; there is a lot of money in Marion County that is willing to support an issue.

11.02.12 - Munroe vote a matter of people helping neighbors

Now we're grappling with high unemployment and under-employment. People who once had health insurance now either have no job or have greatly reduced health insurance coverage where they work. Munroe hospital treats them all, regardless of their ability to pay. Nearly 3,000 women each year have babies at Munroe, but the cost of this service is not fully covered by insurance or other revenues. The time may come, if Munroe is leased to an out-of-town for-profit hospital chain when that chain will discontinue obstetrics because it loses money for the hospital. Then what?

11.02.12 - $135K for anti-Munroe tax group comes from pro-biz sources

The Tallahassee group mounting a campaign against the hospital tax collected and spent $135,000 or so between Oct. 13 and Thursday, newly released records show.

11.01.12 - Letters to the Editor for Nov. 1, 2012 | Beware of Bob : Hospital costs covered : 'No' on hospital tax

What Bob is trying to sell us is that even if the bond issue passes, Munroe will still be leased/sold to a for-profit and it would get the proceeds from the bond issue. The truth, after speaking with a number of trustees, Munroe board members and their attorneys, is the probability of that happening is zero.

10.31.12 - Letters to the editor, Oct. 31, 2012 | Money well spent

The Tallahassee-based Save Our Constitution Now is doing just that in telling voters to reject the millage increase on the Nov. 6 ballot. This, in turn, will result in losing local control of the community’s most prized and valuable asset as it is leased or sold to a national for-profit hospital chain.

10.30.12 - Letters to the editor for Oct. 30, 2012 | Insufficient Answer & Munroe's Worth It

Two Letters to the Editor from Tuesday, October 30, 2012 |Insufficient Answer & Munroe's Worth It

10.30.12 - Editorial: The amendments

There are 11 proposed state constitutional amendments and one Marion County level tax initiative on the Nov. 6 General Election ballot. Here are the Star-Banner’s recommendations on the ballot proposals.

10.28.12 - Walk raises $225,000 for the American Heart Association

The seventh annual Marion Heart Walk, held on Oct. 6 at Baseline Trailhead, was a huge success.

10.28.12 - Letters to the Editor for Oct. 28, 2012 | If it ain't broke ... | For-patient, not-for-profit

At the present time, Munroe has no other mission than to provide high-quality and compassionate care to the residents of Marion County. If Munroe becomes for-profit, it will become part of a larger corporation whose primary goal is to maximize profits for shareholders outside Marion County. There will be talk about quality, but the economic "invisible hand" will inevitably change the Munroe culture.

10.25.12 - Letters to the Editor for Oct. 25, 2012

Regarding Save Our Constitution Now and Munroe Regional Medical Center:

10.24.12 - Florida Hospital Association names Munroe’s President & CEO Steve Purves the 2012 Spirit of Advocacy Award Winner

Munroe Regional Medical Center’s President & CEO Steve Purves was recognized at the awards celebration with the 2012 Spirit of Advocacy award. The award honors an FHA member who has provided leadership within his or her organization, and served in key roles within the Association’s governance structure.

10.24.12 - Employees Concerned About Munroe Regional Becoming a For-Profit Hospital

Taxpayers in Marion County have 13 days left to decide whether or not they support an increase in property taxes to keep Munroe Regional Medical Center as a public and not for profit hospital. The alternative is that the facility could be leased to a for- profit hospital.

10.23.12 - Group opposing MRMC property tax at work

Tallahassee-based Save Our Constitution Now is paying for radio ads, robo calls and mailers asking voters to turn down the community hospital’s request for a 1-mill property tax to supplement its operations.

10.23.12 - For its commitment to Quality Care, Munroe Regional HomeCare recognized as "HomeCare Elite" in 2012

Munroe Regional HomeCare has been ranked among the nation’s Top 25 percent of home health providers in an independent rating of home health quality and performance.

10.22.12 - National Research Corporation Names Munroe Regional the 2012/2013 Consumer Choice Award Winner in Marion County

Munroe Regional Medical Center is pleased to announce that it has received the 2012/2013 Consumer Choice Award for Marion County by the National Research Corporation. It is the 10th consecutive year that Munroe Regional has won the award. The medical center is one of 16 hospitals in the state of Florida to receive the 2012/2013 Consumer Choice Award and one of an elite few, 10 hospitals, in the state to have won the award 10 or more years in a row. The award was announced in the Monday, October 22, 2012 edition of Modern Healthcare.

10.21.12 - Munroe's inescapable financial realities

"Almost three years ago, I decided to get involved and learn as much as possible about MRMC and its finances in order to be able to make an informed decision about whether or not to support a tax for the hospital. I will not support the referendum on the Nov. 6 ballot."

10.21.12 - Keeping community jewel locally controlled

Without question, Munroe Regional Medical Center passes the high-quality test with an impressive score. It is ranked as one of the 50 best hospitals in the nation, has won many state and national awards for a wide range of services and has strong support in the area.

10.20.12 - Group opposes property tax to support Munroe

The proposed property tax to support Munroe Regional Medical Center has attracted a full-scale opponent.

10.18.12 - Letters to the editor, Oct. 18, 2012

There are some important issues on the ballot Nov. 6, but for Marion County residents few can be more important than the bond referendum to support Munroe Regional Medical Center.

10.15.12 - Letters to the Editor for Oct. 15, 2012

...the Marion County League of Women Voters has not taken a formal position for or against the Munroe Regional Medical Center bond issue.

10.14.12 - Letters to the Editor for Oct. 14, 2012

Marion County voters will soon make one of the most important decisions in the history of this county regarding the future of Munroe Regional Medical Center.

10.14.12 - Vote 'Yes' for a tax increase to help support Munroe

What will happen to our local hospital if the “No” votes win on the hospital bond issue and it fails? Your trustees will move forward and chose one of the out-of-town, for-profit companies to lease your local not-for-profit hospital for 40 years, which is tantamount to a sale.

10.14.12 - Vote 'No' for a tax increase to help support Munroe

The last item on the Nov. 6 general election ballot is the property tax-increasing bond issue for Munroe. You may have received a political ad asking you to vote “Yes” for the bonds.

10.13.12 - Letters to the Editor for Oct. 13, 2012

Munroe may need or may not need the bond. I am no financial expert, but you can't just put the burden on the homeowner, because it's a sure way to get revenue. Munroe must find a way so every citizen in Marion County pays their fair share — $25 or $50 a year isn't too much for most of the citizens to pay. It just shouldn't be just property owners. Don't forget to read and vote on this issue Nov. 6.

10.12.12 - Letters to the Editor for Oct. 12, 2012

Regarding whether or not to vote for the Munroe Regional Medical Center bond issue in November, there is one important area that needs to be considered: the help and monetary value that is supplied by the over 1,600 teenagers and adults who volunteer their services each year.

10.07.12 - Ex-judge becomes one-man party of 'no'

...By 1899, it was obvious to just about everyone that a better site was needed for the growing hospital, which was the forerunner of today's Munroe Regional Medical Center.

10.07.12 - MRMC's future is in your hands

While the impact of your one vote in the upcoming presidential election will be negligible, there is a local question on the ballot where your vote is quite important. It will determine the future of Munroe Regional Medical Center. MRMC has faithfully served our community for 115 years. It is owned by you as a resident of Marion County, and its mission has always been to serve every person who comes to its doors, regardless of their ability to pay.

10.05.12 - 3 Ocala clinics linked to outbreak

The number of suspected cases of the rare fungal meningitis in Marion County also has potentially grown since Thursday, when only two people were being treated at Munroe Regional Medical Center.

10.04.12 - Local patients in meningitis scare

As the outbreak of a rare form of meningitis widened to six states on Thursday, killing five people and sickening 30 more, a surprising local angle emerged:

10.04.12 - Health care suitors make pitches for Munroe

There was no shortage of wooing from three health care suitors this week as they tried to convince local leaders that they were the best choice to lease and operate Munroe Regional Medical Center.

09.27.12 - Munroe presentations start Tuesday

Three heavyweight healthcare companies will make presentations to Munroe Regional Medical Center officials next week, trying to show they would be the best pick to lease and take over the operations of the hospital. The public is invited to attend and ask questions.

09.25.12 - Munroe approves budget

The projected operating revenues, 7.3 percent greater than in 2012’s operating budget, are based on an anticipated 7 percent increase in patient admissions as well as an anticipated increase in surgical cases and outpatient cases.

09.19.12 - Munroe Regional Medical Center receives American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award

Munroe Regional Medical Center has received the 2012 Get With The Guidelines®–Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award from the American Heart Association. The award recognizes Munroe’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care by ensuring that stroke patients receive treatment according to nationally accepted guidelines.

09.18.12 - Munroe Regional Medical Center and Hero Rush To Partner For Central Florida’s Most Unique 5k Event

Hero Rush, the firefighter-themed obstacle race and experience coming to Central Florida in November, is pleased to announce a partnership with Munroe Regional Medical Center, Marion County’s locally owned, not-for-profit, community hospital. Munroe has signed on as the exclusive health care sponsor and marketing partner for Hero Rush Central Florida.

09.09.12 - Munroe tax supporters must find ways to turn negatives into positives

Supporters of the one-mill tax to support Munroe Regional Medical Center face an uphill battle. Of course they do: No one wants to pay more taxes.

09.07.12 - Editorial: Real home rule

For the most part, the home rule clause in the Florida Constitution has worked well since being codified in 1973. As Florida and its property values grew over the decades, city, county, school board and other local government budgets grew with them. Then came the 2007 housing crash.

09.07.12 - Munroe reviews 2013 budget

Munroe Regional Medical Center officials began laying some of the preliminary groundwork Friday for their budget workshop next week, focusing on capital improvements, uncertainties in government healthcare reimbursements, and potential new revenue streams.

09.02.12 - OTHER VOICES: The Public Good

Over the next few months, the residents of Marion County will have the opportunity to decide on additional public support for Munroe Regional Medical Center and, in effect, make a decision on whether this "public good" should be turned over to the private market.

08.31.12 - Munroe Regional expands wound treatment

Munroe Regional Medical Center is investing nearly $2.1 million to expand its wound care treatment program, with plans to be operating at a new location by January.

08.28.12 - The March of Dimes Honoring Excellence & Signature Chefs Auction will spice things up for their 16th Annual In Honor of Excellence Award

Over the last 15 years the March of Dimes has honored some of Marion County’s leading Philanthropist this year will be no different as some of Marion County’s leading executives, philanthropist & business leaders join together to honor Lt. Col. Frank & Naida Rasbury as leading philanthropist in Marion County on Sunday, October 14th at the Hilton Ocala.

08.28.12 - Three suitors left for Munroe

Marion County Hospital District trustees voted this week to eliminate one of the four health care companies interested in leasing Monroe Regional Medical Center.

08.19.12 - Letters to the Editor, August 19, 2012

If sold, our hospital, Munroe Regional Medical Center, will no longer be the "custom fit" we enjoy today. It will simply become a "one-size-fits-all" mass production, its sole focus to make money for a corporate home office in some other state.

08.09.12 - New kids ER at Munroe

Munroe Regional Medical Center...421-bed hospital will open its new children's emergency department on Aug. 20. The hospital was holding an invitation-only ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday.

08.02.12 - Munroe seeks tax guidance

As Marion County property values diminish year over year, the financial ripples could affect Munroe Regional Medical Center. Earlier this summer, trustees approved a referendum that would allow the Marion County Hospital District to issue up to $65.37 million in bonds and charge property owners a maximum of 1 mill annually for five years. One mill represents $1 in tax for every $1,000 a property is worth, minus homestead exemptions.

07.23.12 - Wettstein, Munroe Regional Named Communicators of the Year

Mandy Wettstein, APR, CPRC, and Munroe Regional Medical Center walked away with individual and institutional "Communicator of the Year" awards, respectively, from the Ocala Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association Friday evening.

07.23.12 - Strength in numbers

We want to get out there and tell our story, because we have an opportunity to impact decision makers,” says Michael Robertson, Munroe Regional Medical Center’s vice president of strategic planning and marketing, in explaining how the Ocala, FL-based hospital is taking advantage of the AHA’s “We Care, We Vote” initiative. The nationwide effort is designed to get every member of your hospital family involved in this year’s election.

07.19.12 - WCJB TV-20: New Children's ER in Ocala

A growing number of communities are recognizing that "one size" does not fit all when it comes to medical facilities. It can be a tough time for parents and their sick children waiting in a typical hospital emergency room. Gainesville now has a children's hospital, and one hospital in Ocala is also working to make their young patients forget they are in a hospital at all.

07.17.12 - Munroe Regional’s Marketing/PR Team Win Unprecedented Thirteen Awards at FHA’s 46th Annual FSHPRM Awards Dinner

On July 11th, Munroe Regional Medical Center’s Marketing & Public Relations Department received an unprecedented thirteen awards at the Florida Hospital Association's 46th Annual Florida Society for Healthcare Public Relations and Marketing (FSHPRM) Awards dinner for excellence in Healthcare Marketing.

07.11.12 - Letters to the editor for July 11, 2012

In reflecting on my recent experience of having major surgery performed by Ocala Surgical Associates at Munroe Regional Medical Center, the overall performance of both groups involved could be described as nothing less than medical excellence.

07.03.12 - Letters to the Editor for July 3, 2012

With the upcoming vote on the 1 mill increase on property taxes, the county commissioners and the MRMC Trustees and Board have really given the voter a no-voice vote. It's either approve the 1 mill on property taxes or MRMC will become a for-profit hospital, plain and simple. Believe it.

07.01.12 - Munroe applies to build helicopter landing zone

Munroe Regional Medical Center recently applied for a permit to allow a helicopter landing zone near its main hospital building.

06.28.12 - Munroe Regional Medical Center's Response to Today's Supreme Court Ruling.

This morning, the United States Supreme Court voted 5-4 to uphold the Affordable Care Act in its entirety. By upholding the Affordable Care Act, the Supreme Court decision has clarified the constitutionality of the individual mandate and Medicaid expansion. The good news is that the decision eliminates uncertainty surrounding the Affordable Care Act and hospitals across the country can continue their focus on the important changes to the delivery of healthcare that this Act has generated.

06.28.12 - Local figures react to healthcare ruling

Marion County's largest health care facilities say they are still uncertain how the Supreme Court's ruling Thursday upholding virtually all of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul will affect them or their financial bottom line.

06.27.12 - Munroe board approves $5 million in raises for employees

Munroe Regional Medical Center's governing board approved pay raises for most employees on Monday amid fears that the hospital is losing talent to competing hospitals.

06.26.12 - For the Children: Ocala's first children's emergency department

There is no more helpless a feeling than that of a parent whose child is sick or injured and experiencing an emergency. With a head full of concerns and just as many questions, we rely on the doctors and nurses to treat our kids and make them well again. And the dedicated professionals at Munroe Regional Medical Center have been treating our little ones with compassion and patience for more than a century.

06.17.12 - Trustee appointments critical to Munroe

The direct result of the foresight and wisdom of the trustees, an excellent medical staff and efficient operation, Munroe stands today as one of the finest community hospitals in America.

06.17.12 - Voters will have to wait until November to decide on property tax

Marion County voters must wait until the November election to weigh in on a proposed 1-mill property tax to support the community-owned Munroe Regional Medical Center. While five months is a lifetime in politics, both supporters and detractors are joining the fray now, creating websites and embarking on campaigns to build a base of support and sway voters.

06.15.12 - Public Notice of Helicopter Landing Zone Application

It is Munroe Regional Medical Center’s intent to use a grassy field which it leases between SunTrust Bank, 111 SW 17th Street, and CVS, 1607 South Pine Avenue, for the Helicopter Landing Zone.

06.07.12 - Another venue added to the June 30 Travolta movie event

On Saturday, June 30, 2012, Ocala will play host to the first John Travolta red carpet movie event since 2010. The charity event will include a preview screening of the Universal Pictures film Savages, directed by Oliver Stone and featuring an ensemble cast that includes Travolta. The film is based on the novel by Don Winslow and is from a screenplay by Shane Salerno & Don Winslow & Oliver Stone. Savages opens nationwide July 6, the week following the exclusive Ocala Special Benefit Screening. As is the tradition when the Travolta family brings preview screenings to their home community, several charities have been selected to receive 100 percent of the proceeds raised from the tickets purchased for the special event.

06.01.12 - Letters to the editor for June 1, 2012

It is common sense that a for-profit company will buy a nonprofit only if there is some economic advantage to doing so. The suitors of Munroe Regional Medical Center are not doing so out of altruistic policies.

05.29.12 - Letters to the Editor for May 29, 2012

As I listen to the conversations regarding the operation of Munroe Regional Medical Center, it seems there are two questions. Would our residents and taxpayers be best served by our being in the “health care management business” or in the “investment business”?

05.27.12 - Letters to the Editor for May 27, 2012

It seems the powers that be have decided that homeowners are the ones to foot the bill for taxes to support everyone's favorite hospital.

05.22.12 - 8 emergency teams do battle

Area emergency medical workers compete in a critical care competition on Tuesday. The Santa Fe College Kirkpatrick Center and Institute of Public Safety hosted the competition for area emergency responders. The event kicks off EMS week. Teams competed for bragging rights and prizes.

05.22.12 - Munroe Hospital Tax Referendum

The people in charge of the hospital district are planning to put a bond issue on the November ballot. But it wasn't a unanimous vote.

05.21.12 - Munroe drops tax request from $130 million to $65 million

Marion County Hospital District trustees voted Monday to ask voters in a November referendum to approve a $65 million general bond, half the amount trustees originally considered more than a month ago.

05.20.12 - Editorial: The public gives to its public hospital

Marion County property owners will have an opportunity to maintain the excellent health care at Munroe Regional Medical Center by approving the 10-year, $130 million bond issue sought by the hospital's trustees.

05.15.12 - Munroe tax question explained

Marion County Hospital District trustees might whittle the amount of funding they want to borrow and back with a proposed property tax.

05.14.12 - The Munroe Foundation Receives $30,000 Donation from the Junior League of Ocala

The Munroe Foundation is pleased to announce a $30,000 signature gift from the Junior League of Ocala for the New Children’s Emergency Department at Munroe Regional Medical Center.

05.06.12 - Letters to the Editor for May 6, 2012

Nothing makes my blood boil more than to see the city and county giving our tax dollars to private businesses. Sitel Worldwide Corp. is the latest example. At the same time, the taxpayers are asked to support Munroe Regional Medical Center and the Marion County school system by voting on referendums in the upcoming elections to increase our property taxes.

05.06.12 - November ballot would have been the august choice

It's a close call, but the School Board erred when it placed its tax initiatives on the August primary ballot instead of the November general ballot.

05.06.12 - Seniors 4 Newborns make layettes for special deliveries

At their most recent Packing Party, held on March 28 at the Oak Bend clubhouse, the group had enough items to prepare 60 complete layettes, all coordinated in shades of pink, yellow, blue and green. Fifty layettes were donated to Munroe Regional Medical Center's Midwives of Ocala and 10 were given to A Peaceful Beginning, a home-birth midwifery service.

05.05.12 - Letters to the Editor for May 5, 2012

Nothing makes my blood boil more than to see the city and county giving our tax dollars to private businesses. Sitel Worldwide Corp. is the latest example. At the same time, the taxpayers are asked to support Munroe Regional Medical Center and the Marion County school system by voting on referendums in the upcoming elections to increase our property taxes.

05.01.12 - MRMC forms partnership with Ocala Surgical Associates

Ocala Surgical Associates and Munroe Regional Medical Center are forming a partnership, making the group’s four surgeons and their 12-member staff employees of the non-profit hospital.

04.30.12 - Munroe Regional Medical Center Announces Affiliation with Ocala Surgical Associates

On April 30, 2012, the Munroe Regional Medical Center Board of Directors and Marion County Hospital District Trustees approved moving forward to enter into a formal affiliation with Ocala Surgical Associates.

04.24.12 - MRMC CEO named Grassroots Champion

Munroe Regional Medical Center President and CEO, Steve Purves, was recently named by the American Hospital Association as Florida’s 2012 Grassroots Champion.

04.23.12 - Munroe puts program on hold

Munroe Regional Medical Center is indefinitely delaying its plans for a $1 million, Level 2 neonatal intensive care unit and a separate mother-and-child Couplet Care Model project. The move came after some local pediatricians complained to hospital administration the Couplet Care Model could put patients at risk, that plans were rushed and that the hospital didn't involve doctors enough during development of the program.

04.22.12 - Editorial: Hedging our bets

For the most part, the six-year-long conversation about Munroe Regional Medical Center's financial future has been an either-or proposition — either enact a hospital tax or lease the publicly owned hospital long term to an outside company.

04.21.12 - Letters to the Editor for April 21, 2012

I understand that the School Board and Munroe Regional have had significant reductions in their incomes, and both have made some difficult cuts in spending. But the homeowners of Marion County simply cannot afford an increase in property taxes to assist them in meeting their budgetary requirements.

04.21.12 - Letters to the Editor for April 21, 2012

I speak from personal experience, having been a patient at MRMC four times, having received the best professional care ever, as have my children.

04.19.12 - Munroe Regional Medical Center President & CEO Named American Hospital Association’s 2012 Florida Grassroots Champion

Munroe Regional Medical Center President & CEO, Steve Purves, was recently named by the American Hospital Association as Florida’s 2012 Grassroots Champion.

04.17.12 - Letters to the Editor for April 17, 2012

Rolling over CDs at the bank these days is frustrating, to say the least. The most one can do is earn approximately .65 percent in interest.The feds keep lowering interest rates and can’t seem to recognize the fact that our life savings are dwindling.

04.17.12 - Munroe Regional Medical Center Offers New Non-Surgical Procedure to Eliminate a Major Cause of Heart-Related Stroke

On Monday, April 16, 2012, Munroe Regional Medical Center became the second hospital in the state of Florida (Baptist Hospital Miami) to perform a non-surgical, new catheter-based procedure, that uses sutures to tie off the left atrial appendage (LAA) in the heart. The LAA is known to be a major source of blood clots, which may lead to stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation (AFib).

04.17.12 - Hospital panel puts MRMC lease search on hold

The group that is trying to find a private company to lease Munroe Regional Medical Center wants to hold off naming the two finalists until voters decide on a tax for the hospital in November.

04.16.12 - Letters to the Editor for April 16, 2012

If the bond issue fails, the alternative is to select one of these four [four for-profit] finalists to run Munroe. That is an extremely important decision for our community and needs the very best local talent available to help assure a sound decision.

04.15.12 - Letters to the Editor for April 15, 2012

Go figure: Munroe Regional Medical Center, the public hospital, is now going to get millions less in state money. And public education gets less funding as organizations like Jeb Bush's lobby for more taxpayer funds to private schools.

04.15.12 - French-themed gala raises $19,000 for Go Red for Women campaign

Munroe Regional Medical Center is the year-round Marion County Goes Red sponsor, she said.

04.11.12 - Editorial: The people to decide on Munroe

Well, after years of discussion and debate, the future of Munroe Regional Medical Center is now in the hands of the voters, and their decision on whether or not to approve a hospital tax will not be an easy one.

04.10.12 - Voters will decide Munroe's fate

Marion County Hospital District trustees voted Monday to ask the public to weigh in on Munroe Regional Medical Center's future.

04.10.12 - GOP candidates split on hospital tax

The idea of a new tax to support Munroe Regional Medical Center has divided some sitting and would-be Marion County commissioners.

04.08.12 - Editorial - Ask the people

After nearly six years of spirited debate, trustees for Munroe Regional Medical Center appear poised to decide Monday evening whether or not to put the question of a hospital tax before the voters of Marion County.

04.02.12 - New homes for Horse Fever II herd

Ten Years From Above, by Kent Weakley, will soon be on display near the entrance to Munroe Regional Medical Center.

04.01.12 - Munroe: A time for change

The March 14 Star-Banner editorial, “A time for transparency,” about Munroe Regional Medical Center, was a purposeful misrepresentation of the facts.

03.29.12 - Ocala Regional considers reviving its obstetrics program

Munroe Regional Medical Center's corner on the baby delivery market may not last much longer. Ocala Health System confirmed it is considering restarting the obstetrics program abandoned 10 years ago at Ocala Regional Medical Center.

03.27.12 - To some, hospital tax makes most sense

Only a general obligation bond tax would generate enough money to keep the hospital out of the red and out of the hands of private hospital companies vying to buy or lease the publicly owned Munroe from the Marion County Hospital District.

03.25.12 - Long-term lease could provide long-term health care financing for community

The reason that the Hospital District is reviewing proposals from other hospital organizations is because MRMC has informed the district trustees that it needs $18 million a year of additional revenue in order to continue operating the hospital it leases from the district. Without this additional revenue, MRMC will no longer be able to operate the great hospital we have today.

03.25.12 - Lee Memorial board may consider changing public hospital to private, or tax district

Bay Medical Center in Panama City is converting from a public institution to a private nonprofit system this spring and Munroe Regional Medical Center in Ocala is looking for proposals to sell or lease its hospitals, he said.

03.20.12 - Munroe Regional Medical Center Among HealthGrades America’s 50 Best Hospitals for the Sixth Consecutive Year (2007-2012)

Munroe's superior clinical quality has placed it among an elite group of U.S. hospitals: HealthGrades America’s 50 Best Hospitals for the sixth consecutive year (2007-2012). Munroe Regional is one of 9 hospitals in Florida, and the only hospital in Marion, Lake, Sumter, Citrus and Alachua Counties, to receive this prestigious distinction.

03.20.12 - Physician Executive Journal Highlights Physician-To-Physician Communication

The article, entitled "Effective Physician-to-Physician Communication: An Essential Ingredient for Care Coordination," quotes Lon McPherson, MD, senior vice president of medical affairs and chief quality officer at Munroe Regional Medical Center as saying that "lack of direct communication between physicians leads to delays in patients receiving the assessment and treatment they need."

03.17.12 - Meet the challengers for the County Commission

This year's County Commission incumbents won't get away without a primary challenge, after all.

03.16.12 - How state budget, new laws impact Marion County

One week after the Legislature wrapped up its 2012 regular session, the effects on Marion County are coming into better focus.

03.14.12 - Editorial: A time for transparency

The central plot unmistakably is whether to pursue a hospital tax to help keep the award-winning hospital publicly controlled or to either sell or lease it long term to a private corporation, thereby relinquishing community control of the 114-year-old hospital. Either way, hospital trustees have to address Munroe's long-term financial status.

03.14.12 - Letters to the Editor for Wednesday, March 14, 2012

A sales tax would have people from outside Ocala/Marion help fund our hospital needs — the snowbirds; people in town for HITS and other horse venues, people passing through on I-75, people from outside our county who come here to shop and dine, etc.

03.13.12 - Pending new law puts squeeze on MRMC plans

The proposed law, expected to be approved by Gov. Rick Scott, would take away almost all say from trustees concerning what could be done with proceeds from the sale or lease of a hospital.

03.12.12 - Letters to the editor, March 12, 2012

You know full well that Munroe Regional Medical Center needs all the help and positive publicity it deserves in keeping it out of the hands of a private, for-profit hospital. Locals are fighting mad about this possibility, except for some county commissioners, that this may become a reality.

03.12.12 - Hospitals, Walgreens join forces

Munroe and Walgreens kicked off a new program this month in which the pharmacy and hospital try to simplify the process whereby patients about to be discharged receive their medicines.

03.11.12 - Keeping our Cadillac

For all the consultants, reports, debates, analyses and spirited political give and take the debate over Munroe Regional Medical Center's future has spawned over the past half decade, few words have captured the real question better than those of County Commissioner Charlie Stone during a 2009 meeting between the commission and hospital trustees.

03.08.12 - Munroe whittle list to 4

The list of seven healthcare organizations wanting to lease Munroe Regional Medical Center or buy the 420-bed hospital was whittled from seven to four on Wednesday.

03.08.12 - Editorial: Tax votes

There are no more important quality of life issues in any community than good schools and access to good health care.

03.08.12 - Chamber honors its many stars

Two organizations walked away with the Non-Profit Business of the Year award, Munroe Regional Medical Center and Heart of Florida Health Center.

03.08.12 - What would new tax pay for? School Board works on the list

Joyce Blake, state committeewoman for the Marion County Democratic Party, said the proposed tax increase — if coupled with a possible half-cent sales tax request from the Marion County Hospital District to help fund Munroe Regional Medical Center — could present a problem.

03.05.12 - Put the question of Munroe's future to the voters

Only seven proposals were received, and none are from not-for-profit organizations. All were submitted by for-profit health care corporations desiring to lease Munroe and apply their big-corporation operating model to running our community hospital. And let's not forget, Ponder has the potential of walking away with more than $1 million in fees from concluding a deal with a new leasee.

03.05.12 - 'Smarter than...' fundraiser nets $18K for Altrusa projects

Each contestant, sponsored by local businesses, takes a turn in the spotlight answering up to five questions. They start with first grade questions for 100 points and increase to 500 points for fifth grade questions. Second place went to Curtis Sayler, of USA Home Inspections, sponsored by Munroe Regional Medical Center.

03.04.12 - Zumbathon raises $5,500 for MRMC's new Children's Emergency Room

As it turned out, more than 140 people showed up for the 90 minutes of Zumba, a popular Latin-inspired dance-fitness program.

03.04.12 - Letters to the Editor for March 4, 2012

Munroe Regional Medical Center is a safety-net hospital for those of us who are uninsured. Our hospital, MRMC, is a crown jewel in the area.

03.02.12 - Munroe, Ocala Regional could lose over $4 million in Medicaid funding

Medicaid funding for Florida hospitals will be cut about 7 percent — a total of about $376 million — under a tentative agreement reached in budget talks by state lawmakers.

02.28.12 - Hospital district dusts off tax option

The Marion County Hospital District trustees Monday decided they would no longer pursue trying to form a partnership with another health care system in order to financially help Munroe Regional Medical Center.

02.24.12 - Letters to the editor for February 24

Excellent editorial on Sunday (“Due diligence”) on the seven companies showing interest — or shall I say, fire sale interest by some — in Munroe Regional Medical Center.

02.23.12 - Letters to the editor for February 23

I had the opportunity to walk the outside perimeter of Munroe twice last week while waiting for my wife, who was at an event at the Auxiliary Center. I was fascinated how huge its campus is. It is surrounded by all types of support services, such as elderly, new mothers and mental health support. It also it has a volunteer force of over 2,000 who work for free.

02.20.12 - Munroe worries about Medicaid cuts

Munroe Regional Medical Center is again facing likely Medicaid cuts as both the Florida House and Senate consider across-the-board reductions that would cost the hospital about $3 million a year under either plan.

02.19.12 - Due diligence

Trustees got their first glimpse of seven proposals submitted through their consultant, Ponder & Co., Wednesday night. All were from for-profit companies. All would involve nine-figure transactions.

02.16.12 - Munroe workgroup mulls offers

Munroe Regional Medical Center's hope of a financial lifeline came closer to reality this week as seven healthcare companies submitted initial proposals to create a partnership with the hospital, lease the facility or buy the medical facility outright.

01.30.12 - Munroe officials say Scott's Medicaid cuts would be disastrous for hospital

Steve Purves, the not-for-profit hospital's president and chief executive officer, said Scott's proposed $18 million cut would leave the hospital unable to provide services similar to what it now offers patients.

01.21.12 - New clinic lifts hope and anger

Steve Purves, president and CEO of Munroe Regional Medical Center, said the community's safety-net hospital appreciates any effort to reduce its burden — especially to its emergency room, a frequent destination for people who are uninsured or otherwise cannot afford care.

01.21.12 - Legislature May Not Pass Scott's Medicaid Budget

Gov. Rick Scott's controversial plan to cut $1.9 billion in Medicaid payments to Florida hospitals may not win backing in the Legislature this year.

01.20.12 - Editorial: One size does not fit all

The seven-member Commission on Review of Taxpayer Funded Hospital Districts issued its report earlier this month without fully answering that question, but it gave Scott and other critics of public hospital districts plenty of fodder to work with.

01.20.12 - Letters to the Editor for Jan 20, 2012

I wanted to give our county commissioners a pat on the back. There have been a lot of negative articles about them lately.

01.16.12 - Midwives celebrate 30 years

“There were not enough obstetricians to take care of these low-risk patients who couldn't afford care and, at the time, those patients left Marion County and went to Shands for their care and to deliver. By allowing midwives to keep the low-risk patients here, they have offered a tremendous opportunity to moms and it has been fun to watch the program grow,” she said.

01.15.12 - Accident injuries show need for hospital

The undeniable need for a hospital to care for the sick and injured was being discussed by Ocala's leaders once again in 1895, when Benjamin Rheinauer and others witnessed a serious accident on East Broadway in front of the Rheinauer brothers' store.

01.08.12 - Governor's commission on public hospitals calls for major changes

The commission's purpose, per the governor's executive order, was to "make recommendations on the role of hospital districts, whether it is in the public's best interest to have government entities operating hospitals, and what is the most effective model for enhancing health care access for the poor."

01.08.12 - Letters to the Editor for Jan 8, 2011

Since when does the uninsured and underinsured go to for-profit hospitals, and since when does ORMC and West Marion facilities accept with open arms this group? They will shuffle them across First Avenue to MRMC because it is not profitable for them to treat these patients. Delivering babies is not profitable, thus MRMC must take that responsibility.

01.07.12 - How to lose — and keep off — all the holiday weight

Every year losing weight and getting fit are at the top of New Year's resolution lists. Keeping up with shedding pounds and staying in shape are also among the first and most commonly broken resolutions, according to a Time Specials report.

01.01.12 - Duvalier Kendrick is Marion County's 1st baby of 2012

Just 13 hours before, at exactly 12:08 a.m., Duvalier became Marion County's first baby born in 2012, though he shouldn't have been. That's because he was not supposed to arrive until Jan. 25.
 

Munroe Regional Medical Center

  • 1500 S.W. 1st Avenue
  • Ocala, FL 34471
  • 352.351.7200

© 2010 Munroe Regional Medical Center

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