Amid a legislative setback, ground operations related to the 'Better Together' are still a go.
Credit: Broward Health
Legislation that would have given Broward Health and Memorial Healthcare System clearer authority to collaborate has been temporarily postponed in the Florida Senate’s Community Affairs Committee. Without a hearing, Senate Bill 1122 and its House companion will not advance this session.
The proposal, often referred to as the Better Together bill, sought to clarify that Broward’s two public hospital systems could coordinate services without fear of legal challenges. Supporters have consistently said the measure was not a merger, but a framework for collaboration.
“Better Together was never just about a bill; it was about making sure Broward families can get care closer to home,” Shane Strum, president and CEO of Broward Health and interim CEO of Memorial Healthcare System, tells Browardist. “The legislation was about giving Broward Health and Memorial Healthcare System clear authority to collaborate, not merging the two systems.”
Strum acknowledged the setback but emphasized that operations on the ground continue. “Even without full ability to collaborate right now, both public hospital systems remain committed to expanding access to high-quality care across Broward County,” he said, citing new facilities, mobile health units in underserved areas and an expanded shared call center. “This session’s pause is a setback for patients, but it does not change our commitment, and we are not walking away from this effort or from the families who need us.”
In a February 17 Sun Sentinel op-ed, Strum framed the issue in human terms, pointing to Broward Health’s maternity clinic in Lauderdale Lakes, which was expected to serve 200 women but provided prenatal care to more than 1,700 in its first year. He also highlighted gaps in pediatric specialty care and the closure of private maternity units in recent years, arguing that public hospitals often absorb demand when others scale back.
“What I hear most, from physicians, community members, and legislators alike, is that the need for this collaboration has not gone away,” Strum told Browardist. “Patients in parts of Broward County are still driving 30 minutes or more just to see a provider for routine care, and physicians across both systems want to coordinate more effectively for those patients.”
As for the pause in Tallahassee, Strum said feedback from lawmakers has been measured. “Several legislators have told us directly that they did not reject this bill; they simply asked for more time and more information. That tells me we have work to do in educating and building relationships, and we are committed to doing exactly that.”
He was more direct about opposition from private hospital systems. “It is no secret that private hospital opposition is well-funded and well-organized,” Strum said. “For-profit competitors view collaboration between Broward’s two public systems as a threat to their market share, and they used significant resources and political influence to raise doubts and sow confusion about what the bill actually does.”
“The legislation simply sought to give public hospitals clear authority to work together for patients, without fear of being sued; policy decisions should reflect the healthcare needs of Broward County, not financial interests.”
For now, the bill is paused. The broader debate over how Broward delivers and coordinates care certainly is not.
