St. Joseph's Hospital

Do you know the significance of Juneteenth? This day commemorates June 19, 1865, when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to ensure the freedom of all African American slaves, marking the definitive end of slavery in the United States. Today, we recognize Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, a day symbolizing liberation, resilience and the ongoing fight for equality.

Today, we kicked off our Second Annual St. Joseph's Career Camp! Local ninth and 10th grade students were given the opportunity to learn hands-on about the different careers in the hospital. The three-day camp includes lectures from hospital staff, tours of various departments and interactive classes. We hope to inspire teens in our community to consider a future in the health care industry!

Congratulations to Erica K., licensed counselor in our Palliative Care Program, for winning the Team Member of the Month award. Erica demonstrates the BayCare values in all of her interactions with patients and families. She takes the time to sit with patients and truly gets to know what is most important to them and how she can provide support. She is always respectful and kind which provides a welcoming environment for patients and their loved ones. Join us in celebrating our Team Member of the Month, Erica!

Kevin Seeras, DO, has joined BayCare Medical Group’s general surgery office at 4501 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Suite 302 in Wesley Chapel. He is board certified in general surgery and treats patients 18 and older. Dr. Seeras is affiliated with BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel and St. Joseph’s Hospital. His clinical interests include robotics, foregut, bariatric/metabolic surgery, as well as complex hernia. Learn more: https://bit.ly/4bcP61M

The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses is an international recognition program that honors and celebrates nurses who give exceptional, compassionate care to patients and families. Congratulations to Alyssa M., RN, 5 Main for winning The DAISY Award! She goes above and beyond her duties to ensure patients on the unit receive safe and high quality care. Alyssa has made a significant impact on the unit clinically and with building professional relationships. She is always positive, insightful, interactive, and fully aware of everything happening on the unit.

More than 18 million people in the United States are cancer survivors. At our hospital, we honor each one of our patients who has been treated for cancer on National Cancer Survivors Day. To celebrate the end of treatment, many patients ring a bell three times to represent the restoration of harmony and balance in life. But they don’t do it alone. Our skilled and caring team members, physicians and volunteers cheer and applaud as the patients ring out of their treatment. Whether our patients are young or young at heart, we’ll fight with them every step of the way. Learn more about our cancer care and survivorship services: https://bit.ly/3UUZ8hG

At BayCare, we honor the diverse identities that make up our team and community. BayCare joins our community in recognizing National Pride Month and the contributions of LGBTQIA+ individuals!

Nam Huynh, MD, has joined BayCare Medical Group’s Carrollwood office at 10330 N. Dale Mabry Highway, Suite 190, in Tampa. He is board certified in family medicine and treats patients 18 and older. Dr. Huynh chooses to develop lifelong relationships with his patients, building a trusting partnership that combines an understanding of their family history and personal health needs to ensure well-being for each patient. He focuses on diagnosing and treating acute and chronic illnesses. Learn more: https://bit.ly/4bQFABQ

Our Trauma Center is a state-designated level 2 trauma center with the experience and capability to treat some of the most seriously ill or injured patients in our community. When Ric Yambura was brought into the trauma center with severe injuries from a car accident, a committed team of surgeons and other clinicians worked diligently to save his life. Learn more about Ric’s journey below:

St. Joseph's Hospital's Multidisciplinary Trauma Team Helps Save Local Business Owner's Life When Ric Yambura sustained severe injuries from a car accident, a committed team of surgeons and other clinicians at St. Joseph Hospital’s Trauma Center worked diligently to save his life.

We’re excited to launch a new surgery residency program this summer, bringing young physicians and innovative ideas to our community. Learn more below!

BayCare Expands Graduate Medical Education to Include Surgery Residency Program The new residency program is the latest step in BayCare’s plan to bring more doctors to West Central Florida by increasing residency positions to more than 650 by 2029.

The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses is an international recognition program that honors and celebrates nurses who give exceptional, compassionate care to patients and families. Congratulations to our Medical/Surgical T6 Team for winning The DAISY Team Award! The entire team was recently complimented for their exemplary care including charge nurses, nurse managers, RNs, PCTs, students, IV teams, EVS and physicians.

For Nurses Week 2024, we asked APRNs, RNs and LPNs to tell us about their journey to nursing. As you'll see in the two nurses highlighted from our hospital below, these journeys are filled with resilience, compassion and a genuine desire to make a difference in the lives of others.

Michelle, RN, assistant nurse manager:

Nursing has always been my passion. Having the opportunity to help others on a daily basis is a blessing. This is especially true being a nurse at BayCare. Working at this organization has impacted my career. Working alongside nurses who truly care motivated me to continue to grow in my career from tech, RN, nursing professional development practitioner to, now, assistant nurse manager.

Christine, RN, BSN, employee health coordinator:

Many, many years ago in a land far away, my future inspiration to become a nurse appeared. It was 1973 at the Lakenheath air base in England where I fell and fractured my femur. During the hospital stay (bedridden), there was one nurse in particular that I remember so admiring — she came on in the evening and was very kind and compassionate. Years later when I was stateside and pondering just what I wanted to do with my life, I remembered that nurse who took such great care of me and decided I wanted to be like her. The rest is history. I became an RN, joined the wonderful team at St. Joseph’s Hospital in 1985 and never left.

Florida is a great place to enjoy the sunshine. But playing in the sun without the proper protection can damage your skin and lead to skin cancer. Just before the start of summer, several BayCare hospitals, including St. Joseph's Hospital, marked with skin cancer screenings. Residents of several communities had their skin checked by licensed dermatologists at the free event. Learn more about skin cancer and how to stay safe in the sun at https://bit.ly/44vJzRQ

In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, join us in honoring the incredible impact and diverse cultures of our AAPI team members. 💙 Their dedication enriches BayCare and the communities we serve.

Thanks to our extraordinary team members and medical staff, we have received an "A" safety grade once again from The Leapfrog Group, a national organization that sets a standard of excellence in patient care and safety. We also earned an “A” last fall marking an eighth consecutive time of achieving the top grade.

We are proud to be recognized again for this wonderful accomplishment. Thank you, team members, for all you do to put patient care first every day!

Bosede Afolabi, MD, has joined BayCare Medical Group’s cardiology office at 4612 N. Habana Ave. in Tampa. She specializes in cardiac electrophysiology and cardiovascular diseases and sees patients 18 and older. Dr. Afolabi’s interests and expertise encompass the treatment of atrial and ventricular arrhythmia, performing ablations, device therapy and intervention, and providing cutting-edge medical therapy with a goal to improve outcomes using a patient-centered approach. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3QnsYKn

It was great today to host community leaders for Tampa in Scrubs, an event that offers a behind-the-scenes look inside the daily operations of the hospital. Guests received tours of different departments while learning from clinicians on hand. Thanks to Danny Burgess Representative Gallop Franklin II Hillsborough County 13th Judicial Circuit Court Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office Tampa Police Department Senator Marco Rubio Congresswoman Laurel Lee Florida Hospital Association Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops Darryl Rouson RSA Consulting South Tampa Chamber Jim Boyd Tampa Family Health Centers and all our guests who attended!

We’re proud to announce we’ve been named a 2024 Top Workplaces winner for our culture that values its team members. Learn more: https://bit.ly/44eVOCc

BayCare Recognized with Multiple Top Workplaces Culture Excellence National Awards for 2024 Learn about how BayCare achieved four new Top Workplaces awards for 2024, celebrating its innovative and supportive work environment through team member feedback.

We are proud to announce that we are the first health care facility to use checkout-free technology in a hospital cafeteria, demonstrating BayCare and St. Joseph’s Hospital’s commitment to innovation, patient care and team member experience. Located inside the hospital, Season’s Café uses Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology to eliminate checkout lines and allow guests access to the full range of cafeteria items. Click below to find out more!

BayCare's St. Joseph's Hospital Opens Season's Café with Amazon's Just Walk Out Technology The new technology eliminates checkout lines and allows guests access to the full range of cafeteria items 22 hours a day, seven days a week, creating an effortless shopping experience.

Happy National Volunteer Appreciation Week! Our volunteer's decision to offer their valuable time to help our hospital is a selfless act and priceless gift that encompasses their time, effort, compassion, empathy, kindness and inspiration! We appreciate all of our volunteers, especially during this time. Thank you!

Everyday our laboratory professionals conduct lab tests and analyses that are essential in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease. Our laboratory is dedicated to the highest quality and patient care. We appreciate the commitment, thoroughness and extraordinary service of each of our laboratory team members. Happy Medical Laboratory Professionals week!

Alycia Saini, MD, has joined BayCare Medical Group at 4541 S. Dale Mabry Highway, Suite 100, in Tampa. She is board certified in family medicine and is accepting new patients 18 and older. Dr. Saini has special training and skill in family-centric health care and emphasizes patient education. She performs medical history analysis, provides diagnoses, and treats a wide variety of dysfunctions, conditions and injuries. She can offer specialist referrals. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3Ujwo37

Happy National Robotics Week! Our robotics program gives us the opportunity to offer robotic-assisted surgeries for specialties including general surgery, pediatrics, gynecology, thoracic, orthopedics and urology. We also offer robotic-assisted bronchoscopies. Robotic-assisted surgeries are minimally invasive procedures that can provide smaller incisions, less pain and faster recoveries compared to standard open surgery. Our experienced surgeons are specially trained in this state-of-the-art technology. For more information about robotic-assisted surgery, click here: https://shorturl.at/cgGR6

St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital Foundation Receives Historic $50 Million Gift St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital Foundation receives a $50 million donation from the Pagidipati family of Tampa to support the future of pediatric health care in the Tampa Bay community.

BayCare is proud to share our 2023 Report to the Community. Last year was filled with growth, from increasing our Community Benefit spending by $65 million to expanding our services for better access and innovative treatments. Discover how we're making a difference for our community in West Central Florida. Read the full report:

BayCare's Community Benefit Spend Grew in 2023 BayCare Health System has released its Report to the Community for 2023, highlighting growth in community impact, 2023 accomplishments and community benefit spending.

Congratulations to our surgical team for treating their 100th patient using a Cryo Nerve Block, a non-pharmacological/non-opioid tool to manage post-operative pain. The Cryo Nerve Block is used during minimally invasive surgery as a technique to minimize postoperative pain. This technology uses a unique freezing method to temporarily block pain signals from nerves in the affected area, providing an effect that’s similar to a local anesthetic. We are proud to offer our patients innovative health care options!

The Nursing Leadership Award is presented in recognition of the exemplary leadership skills exhibited by any clinical nurse in a nursing administration position and focuses on excellence in leadership while using the BayCare Values. Congratulations to Nichole Zeigler, RN for winning the Clinical Nurse Excellence Nursing Leadership award! She has encouraged positive attitudes, teamwork, and truly has an open-door policy. She has transitioned the culture of her team by leading by example and has implemented many positive changes on her unit.

In celebration of the holiday season, Father Ken Gerth led a blessing of the Christmas tree and nativity scene at our hospital. Team members, physicians and hospital leaders were on hand to enjoy the festivities. The tree and nativity scene are located in the medical office building of the hospital for all to enjoy throughout December!

Congratulations to Siria, radiology coordinator in our diagnostic imaging department for winning the Team Member of the Month award. She is always leading the charge in solving problems and being helpful, even when it does not involve her already heavy responsibilities. She is kind and gives her all in all situations. Join us in celebrating our Team Member of the Month, Siria!