TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – The Tallahassee branch of the NAACP has officially denounced the Tallahassee Memorial Hospital and Florida State University merger, along with the sale of the country club golf course.
FSU-TMH Merger
The civil rights organization cites several reasons in a Wednesday press release for its concerns about the FSU-TMH merger. The document begins with the mention of a FAMU hospital that, according to the historical marker database, operated from 1911 to 1971. The NAACP said this was the first teaching hospital in Florida that served African Americans.
“That hospital was defunded and ultimately closed under the guise of integration, as state officials and the TMH Board redirected support away from FAMU’s medical programs. Today, history threatens to repeat itself,” the Tallahassee NAACP wrote.
The group fears that the merger will “extend to taking over or absorbing FAMU’s health education.” They wrote that the merger marginalizes FAMU’s health programs as it limits “clinical and internship opportunities necessary for graduation and accreditation.”…