Brevard County's largest health care provider is getting even larger.
Health First Inc. on Tuesday announced a deal to form a joint venture with the Crane Creek Surgery Center in Melbourne.
The new partnership includes The B.A.C.K. Center becoming part of Health First Medical Group.
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Although agreements have been signed, Health First said work remains to integrate the affected operations. Officials anticipating the operations will be combined in late spring 2022.
Financial terms of the agreement were not announced, nor was how much of an ownership stake Health First will have in the new venture.
Health First operates four hospitals in Brevard County — Cape Canaveral Hospital in Cocoa Beach, Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne, Palm Bay Hospital and Viera Hospital — as well as a multispecialty medical group, health insurance plans, and outpatient and wellness services.
“We have long explored a partnership with Crane Creek Surgery Center and The B.A.C.K. Center, as we share the same goals and dedication to patient care, quality of services and plans for growth," Frank Letherby, Health First's chief executive officer for community health services, said in a statement announcing the deal. "Together, our teams have an opportunity to align resources in a way that better serves and delights our customers, and we look forward to launching this new partnership in spring 2022.”
Health First said that, rather than reopening its Melbourne Same-Day Surgery Center — which previously closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic — Health First and Crane Creek Surgery Center will work to grow surgical services at the Crane Creek location.
Previously, various types of outpatient surgeries had been performed at the Melbourne Same-Day Surgery Center, located at 1035 S. Apollo Blvd., not far from Holmes Regional Medical Center.
The Crane Creek site — located at 2222 S. Harbor City Blvd., just south of downtown Melbourne — has five large operating rooms, with the ability to accommodate future growth.
"Rather than reopen the Melbourne Same-Day Surgery Center, we will work with our new partner to grow surgical services at the Crane Creek location," said Lance Skelly, Health First's system director for public and media relations.
"The move to Crane Creek will give us the opportunity to expand our surgical specialties and practice reach to provide high-quality care for our community," Skelly said.
Health First said the Melbourne Same-Day Surgery Center eventually will be repurposed as part of Health First’s planned "wellness villages" concept. Health First said details of that plan still are under development.
Health First initially announced the wellness villages concept in late 2019, as part of a five-year, $600 million development, in which each wellness village will have different health care concepts, including fitness and medical offices. That plan also includes moving Cape Canaveral Hospital to a site off State Road 520 on Merritt Island.
Letherby said the joint venture with Crane Creek Surgery Center "will allow us to expand our surgical specialties and practice reach."
In commenting on the deal, Dana Clay, administrator of The B.A.C.K. Center, said: "The partners of Crane Creek Surgery Center and The B.A.C.K. Center are extremely excited about our new partnership with Health First. We believe this collaboration will be highly successful, and we are looking forward to the opportunity of continued growth with Health First."
According to information on its website, The B.A.C.K. Center traces its roots to the founding in 1981 of the Brevard Orthopaedic Clinic by Dr. Glenn Bryan.
The focus of the general orthopedic clinic was shifted to specializing in treatment of the neck and spine, with the addition of Dr. Richard Hynes in 1992.
Over the years, multiple physicians and other practitioners joined the practice.
In 2002, the name of the practice was changed to Brevard Orthopaedic Spine and Pain Clinic, doing business as The B.A.C.K. Center. The acronym stands for "Back Authority for Contemporary Knowledge."
Skelly said details on how many Health First associates will work at the Crane Creek Surgery Center location have not yet been determined.
Skelly said the most recent major joint venture involving Health First before this one was announced in September 2019.
At that time, Health First signed a letter of intent with AdventHealth Centra Care to partner with Health First to provide urgent care in Brevard County.
The joint venture was not a purchase, but rather a collaboration between Health First and AdventHealth Centra Care.
They have locations in Cocoa Beach, Malabar, Melbourne and Titusville.
Dave Berman is business editor at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Berman at dberman@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @bydaveberman.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Health First partners with Crane Creek Surgery Center
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