TOLEDO, Ohio — Editor's note: The above video originally aired July 16, 2020.
University of Toledo Medical Center is set to receive nearly $35 million in state and federal funding to expand screenings, educational programs, and other initiatives to improve care at the south Toledo hospital.
Gov. Mike DeWine announced Wednesday that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services authorized the $34.7 million plan. The program will use a combination of state and federal funds.
The money will pay to strengthen and expand programs to reduce preterm birth and infant mortality rates, enhance illness prevention and detection through increased patient education and screening, integrate behavioral and physical healthcare, and better manage chronic conditions, state officials said Wednesday.
“UTMC is a vital partner in improving the overall health and well-being of those living in northwest Ohio and plays a critical role in advancing quality care,” the governor said in a news release Wednesday. “This quality initiative will advance care and lead to healthier Ohioans.”
U.S. Rep Marcy Kaptur (D-Toledo) also praised the funding initiative.
“Today will go down in history as the day we helped secure the future of the University of Toledo Medical Center,” she said in a statement released Wednesday. “UTMC is a foundational pillar of our region. Every day, countless hospital staff, doctors, nurses, professors, and students mask up and show up to deliver the life-sustaining and lifesaving care our community needs, particularly those who are most underserved."
Rep. Kaptur also cited UTMC's important role as an economic driver for the city and the region.
"I want to thank the leaders that helped make this major financial opportunity possible for UTMC and The University of Toledo," UToledo President Gregory Postel said. "Governor Mike DeWine's support was instrumental, along with Ohio Department of Medicaid Director Maureen Corcoran and her team. I also need to recognize the support of Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur and our local state delegation who included an amendment to support this proposal in the state biennium budget and voted to pass that budget, providing the necessary state approval for the application. Thank you for your support of UTMC and our patients, physicians and staff."
UTMC faced an uncertain fate less than two years ago, however. University of Toledo officials announced in April, 2020, that because the medical center had incurred large financial losses and faced big budget deficits in the future, the university would request bids to buy, lease, or manage UTMC.
The only known bidder to come forward was ProMedica, the regional health-care giant that UTMC supporters blamed primarily for the financial difficulties at UTMC. The then 5-year-old affiliation agreement between UTMC and ProMedica had drained away medical students and residents, medical staff, and patients, UTMC supporters claimed.
These supporters organized the Save UTMC Coalition in 2020, which lobbied lawmakers to block any sale of the hospital, pressured the University of Toledo to restore services, and rallied neighbors to join the campaign to save UTMC.
In July, 2020, university officials announced they were no longer considering proposals to sell, lease, or outsource the management of UTMC. Instead, the university focused on improving the hospital's financial health. By September, 2021, instead of running a deficit, as had been predicted, UTMC ended the fiscal year roughly $4 million in the black.
More on WTOL: