Editorial: $6 million for CF – Ocala

A request by the College of Central Florida for a $6 million grant from the Marion County Hospital District is unique among those sought from the $212 million windfall the district reaped after leasing Munroe Regional Medical Center.

First, it is for more money than the district has doled out altogether $4 million, so far in its first two years funding health and well-being programs throughout the community. Second, the money is sought to help build a new $28 million health sciences building on the CF campus, the first request for hospital district money for infrastructure. Finally, it came after the grant deadline.

That said, when the hospital district trustees meet Monday to consider CFs request, they should approve it.

The health science building has been the colleges No. 1 priority for the past four years. Besides not being adequate to meet student or community demand for its nursing, emergency medical services, dental assistant, physical therapy and surgical support services programs, the 30-plus-year-old building simply is obsolete for 21st century health services instruction.

The money is needed to provide local matching funding that would open the door to a possible $23.7 million state grant. State Rep. Charlie Stone, R-Ocala, is sponsoring that measure, and CF President Jim Henningsen said that a 20 percent local match earns applicants for the state money a perfect score, thus greatly enhancing increasing the colleges chances.

While the Hospital District board has been conservative in spending the $212 million in cash Community Health Systems paid it to lease Munroe for 40 years, its members have also acknowledged there will be times when they need to spend larger amounts for the long-term betterment of the community. This is one of those times.

As hospital trustee Chairman David Cope noted, the credibility of CF is pretty well established. Indeed, CF is annually among the nations best community colleges and it has been recognized for its student- and community friendly programs, including for veterans, and most recently, as one of the nations top 50 colleges for adult students.

Beyond that, we have a large senior population that is growing daily, and providing sufficient and proficient health care workers is an existing challenge that is only likely to grow worse. Plus, with the lack of dental care a veritable epidemic in Marion County and one of the Hospital Districts priorities, the new health sciences building would allow for the establishment of a dental hygienist program none exists in Marion County along with expansion of other dental training programs.

The Hospital Board will meet Monday to consider the CF request. The board should approve it. The new facility would increase the number of nursing students at CF by 50 percent, from 300 to 450; would put all the colleges health-related programs in one building; and would enhance the local health care workforce for decades to come.

The hospital trustees have been prudent in handling the communitys millions. The committee, consisting of five of the seven district trustees, voted unanimously to recommend the grant, with conditions: The district money would not be handed over unless the state grant is awarded, a dental hygiene program must be priority, and any payments from the $6 million would be made in conjunction with state allocations. These are reasonable requests, which Henningsen quickly agreed to.

The college and the community needs a bigger and better health services facility. The Hospital District has the money, money that is intended to improve health care in our community. This is a natural and obvious choice for the trustees that will pay dividends for decades. We urge them to follow through on the committees recommendation, including the conditions, and award the grant.

View original post here:

Editorial: $6 million for CF - Ocala