OCEANSIDE — Tri-City Hospital and Sharp HealthCare officials recently wrapped up a series of community forums across the healthcare district, updating residents on plans for an exclusive partnership to expand access and improve care in North County.
Tri-City board members approved a letter of intent to partner with Sharp in May, followed by a due diligence period to work toward a definitive agreement.
Under the proposal, Sharp would enter into a long-term lease covering all of Tri-City Medical Center’s assets and operations, similar to its model with Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa. The agreement includes a $100 million capital commitment over five years to upgrade Tri-City’s facilities, assumption of all Tri-City liabilities, seismic compliance for at least 175 hospital beds, and implementation of the Epic health record system for patients and clinical teams.
The Tri-City Healthcare District would retain ownership of the property, while Sharp would oversee all operations. The district would remain a community healthcare district, and Tri-City board members and community representatives would have seats on the partnership’s board.
The agreement also envisions transforming Tri-City into a “hub” of Sharp’s North County network, offering acute care and clinical services and pursuing efforts to restore obstetrics, labor and delivery, and newborn care. The hospital’s current acute care and emergency department services would remain in place.
As part of the due diligence process, Tri-City and Sharp held a series of public forums to gather community feedback and outline next steps, including a June ballot measure that would require voter approval of the public-private partnership.
If approved, a 30-year lease would begin, with Sharp paying $1 per month. Despite the nominal lease cost, Sharp would invest millions more into upgrading the hospital and assume all of its debt. The hospital’s name would also change to Sharp Tri-City Medical Center.
Tri-City officials said they were encouraged by turnout and engagement during the five forums held from late October to early November in Oceanside, Carlsbad and Vista.
“Across the sessions, community members consistently expressed gratitude for the transparency, collaboration, and shared commitment that Sharp and Tri-City brought forward,” said Jennifer Paroly, president of Tri-City Hospital Foundation and director of Marketing and Communications. “The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and even the questions raised came from a place of genuine care for the future of healthcare in the region.”
Paroly said most questions centered on timelines and how the transition would affect patients and staff.
“We didn’t hear any major lingering concerns at the final session,” Paroly said via email. “Overall, there was a strong sense of optimism and alignment around the vision we’re working toward together.”
Several public commenters were Sharp employees living in North County and welcomed the prospect of shorter commutes for themselves and their patients.
Melanie Mesa, a Sharp employee and patient who lives in Oceanside, said many cancer patients currently travel to San Diego for treatment daily, five days a week, for six to eight weeks, depending on the regimen. Moving Sharp’s services north would significantly reduce those trips.
“I think our community needs this,” she said at the Nov. 13 forum.
The partnership would not privatize the healthcare district. A new 15-member board would be created, with eight seats delegated by Tri-City — three from the publicly elected District Board and three community members selected by the board. The District Board would continue to oversee tax revenues and assume additional responsibilities.
The partnership is expected to increase job opportunities at the hospital and add services.
Current patients would keep their existing Tri-City–affiliated physicians, as medical staff would remain independently governed and patient-doctor relationships would not change. The network would be expanded to include Sharp health plans and additional primary care physicians.
There are also no plans to close any existing Tri-City services.
Whether Sharp will bring a Mary Birch Hospital for Women and Newborns to North County remains uncertain and will depend on the final stages of due diligence in the coming months. Still, plans call for restoring labor and delivery services.
