Toledo, OH – Today, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09) and members of the Save UTMC Coalition, including state Senator Teresa Fedor (D-Toledo) and former Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner, released the following statement in response to the announcement that the University of Toledo will indefinitely postpone the Request for Proposals (RFP) process issued for its medical center:
“I am thankful the University of Toledo Board and UT Interim President Dr. Gregory Postel have answered our community’s call to stay the sale of UTMC‘S Teaching Hospital and emptying out of its publicly-financed academic research and medical campus. This entire situation demands full sunlight and an accounting to our citizenry,” said Rep. Kaptur.
“Divesting or dramatically emptying out operations at northwest Ohio’s only public hospital during a public health emergency in my view would not only be a mistake, but a moral injustice. This campus serves as a major hub for advancing health outcomes, spurring innovation for economic growth, and linking to medically underserved areas in our tristate region,” Kaptur added.
“Significant federal funding through the CARES Act, which I fully supported, has recently been delivered to UTMC. To date, more than $21.5 million in CARES direct funding has been directed to UTMC. This means the hospital has been provided bridge funding to the future. In addition, realigned federal and state sponsored care reimbursements, a dedicated, hardworking physician and medical corps of professionals and an interim president who understands the importance of academic medical research, the hospital’s financials will improve,” continued Kaptur.
“While today’s decision is a step in the right direction, there remain too many unanswered questions. A complete audit covering the pre and post 2015 period at the University will better enable us to determine how UTMC’s financial standing has become so dire,” concluded Kaptur.
“This is a reasonable move amid the financial status of the university. There will be many challenges ahead and we look forward to working together,” said state Senator Teresa Fedor. “We have made great strides towards saving our public hospital, and to continue that work, we must maintain our status as a teaching and research institution. This is not an asset to be trifled with. We have seen what the hospital can do when it came to forging the path for COVID-19 testing in the region.”
“The delay will give UTMC time to identify and finalize partnerships with important allies such as the Toledo Clinic. Such a partnership would help UTMC replace more of the doctors who moved to ProMedica and enhance healthcare for the region. The delay also could help the Save UTMC Coalition find answers to the questions surrounding the flow of funds in and out of the hospital and determine the net worth of this important state asset,” former Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner said.
Northwest Ohio legislators were scheduled to meet today with Ohio Auditor Keith Faber’s office.
The University of Toledo stated one reason for this decision was the public scrutiny surrounding a 50-year academic affiliation agreement between ProMedica and UT for its College of Medicine and Life Sciences (COM&LS). The agreement was initiated as a way to improve the university’s finances and help advance the COM&LS’s academic and research mission. However, the Save UTMC Coalition argues that the agreement has only exacerbated the university’s financial issues.