What Should Take the Place Of Community Hospital?

Patients at what was once known as Community Hospital have been moved out of New Port Richey and into Trinity.

Hospital staff spent Tuesday transfering 112 patients to the new Medical Center of Trinity campus on State Road 54.

. HCA, which owns the former Community Hospital and Medical Center of Trinity, has been spending nearly 18 months planning the transition.

On Tuesday evening, the hosptal sent out a press release stating:

The culmination of almost 18 months of planning for this patient move went smoothly and without incident. ...

Medical Center of Trinity is grateful to Medfleet Ambulance Service, AMR Ambulance Service, Pasco County EMS,  the nursing students at Rasmussen College, the hospital volunteers, the many vendors on hand to support their technology and equipment, and the hospital’s healthcare team.   

Community Hospital, now known as Medical Center of Trinity’s West Campus, is now mostly empty, and its signs are covered up. A psych ward continues to operate on the property, and hospital admins plan on continuing physical and occupational therapythere.

The question now is: What should fill the vacant space? And what about the businesses that occupy the same area and could be affected by the move?

It’s still unclear. Businesses have expressed concern to the Tampa Bay Times, and Patch readers have expressed frustration with the move.

The city would like to see redevelopment of the property, which City Manager John Schneiger has raised the prospect that the city partner with the Medical Center of Trinity to determine how the empty property can be used. There's not  a lot of other ways to use a former hospital building.

Schneiger said he has talked to Leigh Massengill, CEO of the Medical Center of Trinity, about partnering for a study that looks at what could fill the vacant space.

“They’re optimistic” about participating, he said. “There’s no commitment at this point.”

Pasco County’s development department has also expressed interest in lending resources to such a plan.

But what do you think should go there, readers? What realistically could be sustainable in the neighborhood?

We want to know. Tell us in the comments.