The third element of Baptist’s redevelopment vision for the redevelopment of its E Street campus was: “Baptist ensuring there is a solution for health care that meets the needs of the neighborhood and surrounding areas.”
- On May 23, 2022, Baptist VP Jennifer Grove told the Pensacola City Council that execution of that element was on them.
“The third element is on us,” said Grove. “We will ensure that there is a solution for healthcare services that meets the needs of the surrounding neighborhood.”
- She continued, “We are fortunate that we have access to the data for patients, how they access our services there, and ultimately to receive what sort of services. So absolutely we will ensure not just that we will serve them just over two miles up the street, but that there will be an appropriate healthcare solution for the needs of the immediate neighborhood within this redevelopment vision as well.”
I wrongly assumed that Baptist Hospital would build and operate on the site of the old campus a Baptist Medical Park much like the one at “Airport” on city-owned land. The Airport facility is 2.5 miles from the new campus. The new campus is four miles from the old campus. One thing does jump out. Baptist’s second tier of medical parks and lesser hospital facilities are all in predominantly White areas. In 2022, I reviewed Baptist’s 34-page Moreno Street Campus Redevelopment Vision. It wasn’t much of a plan and seemed to lack vision. It was the standard “dog & pony” presentation given to lull councilmembers into an easy YES vote. Pre-meetings were held to lobby them in private, a standard political persuasion tactic used to squelch potential resistance. The vote on May 26, 2022 was a rubberstamp 7-0 with no discussion. Yet, on May 23rd, Mayor Robinson had used the phrase “sorta vague” to describe the plan. Page 12 of the plan was the key page clearly laying out that the plan wasn’t actually a plan. We are told that Baptist solicited public input. Mailers were sent out across a 3+ square mile area. Only 160 citizens responded. Apparently, that was good enough for Grove and her Baptist seniors. You’d have gotten more and better input by holding a free four-hour BBQ at Baptist on any Saturday. The best way forward remains what I told a councilmember when Baptist wanted to annex its new property into the city. I said the annexation should be contingent on Baptist selling the old campus to the city for below market rate mindful of future city expenses to rehabilitate the place. The city could lease land to Baptist for $1 a year for a medical park. The city should call the shots not Baptist. A big missing component is recreation. There is a great inequity between the east (rich, white) side of the city and the west (poor, black) side. I saw it again during a recent week-long inspection tour of the entire city. It’s no secret. Parks & Recreation Department once told me that the Hunter pool was “the black pool.” I had asked why the city council each year votes to charge lower use rates there than at the Roger Scott (white) pool. It’s crazy. I previously wrote to the council suggesting it use the county’s $1.3 million to build a Councilman Ron Townsend Tennis Center on the campus and that it be free for public use. (Roger Scott is a private membership, for-profit club.) As expected, Crickets.
Doh!! Go get ‘em!!!!