DeSoto Memorial Hospital officially became TGH DeSoto on Thursday, nearly a year after Tampa General Hospital agreed to take operational control and inject a $49 million lifeline.
“This is the start of a new era in DeSoto County,” said Vince Sica, whose title changed from CEO to president under management. He is also a TGH senior vice president.
Sica spoke during a ribbon-cutting ceremony was accompanying by new signage in and around the 49-bed hospital that denoted the new brand.
The Arcadia hospital has been the primary medical facility in the county for over a century, including the past 58 years in the current building. However, like most rural hospitals these days, it was facing a challenging and uncertain financial future.
In November, the hospital board selected TGH’s 49-year rental proposal that retains all employees as part of its academic health system, which includes the University of South Florida.
Tampa General says the change will bring new technology and services to the hospital, as well as additional specialists and access to the resources of its USF Health partnership.
John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General, said the health system’s agreement with is intended to preserve local access to care while connecting DeSoto County patients with the broader resources of Tampa General’s academic health system.
“Tampa General is making a long-term commitment to provide exceptional care in rural communities across Florida,” Couris said.
TGH also plans to provide access to its medical aircraft fleet for air ambulance and interfacility transport, allowing patients to be transferred to facilities capable of providing more specialized care when necessary.
TGH DeSoto will continue to provide emergency, inpatient and surgical care, along with diagnostic imaging, rehabilitation, behavioral health and other services.
The hospital serves a largely agricultural county of nearly 37,000 residents about 90 miles southeast of Tampa.
Rural hospitals around the country have had difficulty surviving in recent years due to rising operational costs, difficulty recruiting physicians and nurses, aging infrastructure, and a high proportion of patients covered by Medicare and Medicaid.
The hospital board took action and sought bids to keep the facility open. Affiliating with a larger health system, experts say, provides economies of scale, access to specialists, and resources for capital investments that smaller facilities often cannot achieve alone.
TGH’s lease proposal was selected during a public meeting over competing purchase offers from AdventHealth and NorthStar Hospitals. Under the agreement, Tampa General will pay $10 a month in rent while investing in capital improvements.
Stacey Brandt, Tampa General’s executive vice president, chief administrative officer and president of its community and specialty hospital division, said TGH will build on the foundation established by DeSoto Memorial.
“We will honor DeSoto Memorial’s history and what the Hospital District board, team members, physicians and community partners worked so hard for over the years: ensuring this community had great healthcare,” Brandt said.
TGH's move adds to the nonprofit's growing statewide footprint.
The hospital system formed TGH North when it purchased three hospitals in Hernando and Citrus counties from Bravara Health in 2023. The deal also included a freestanding emergency room in Citrus Hills, two ambulatory surgery centers and 10 primary care and specialty facilities.
In October 2025, the hospital announced plans to acquire a 53-acre property adjacent to emergency center in Citrus County. Plans for the site include a hospital, medical office building and helipad.
The hospital also plans a new Ybor City medical campus.
TGH previously entered a management/operational support agreement with Lakeside Medical Center in Palm Beach County, providing administrative leadership, operational management and strategic support. It also lists a network of outpatient facilities in Palm Beach County.
In 2021, Tampa General began a joint venture with Mass General Brigham and partnered with it on a recently opened radiation oncology center in Palm Beach Gardens. TGH also purchased Tower Radiology's 21 imaging centers in the Tampa Bay and Palm Beach areas.
