St. Petersburg, FL (Sept. 1, 2015) – Bayfront Health St. Petersburg announced it has signed an affiliation agreement with the University of South Florida to help expand and strengthen the health care provided to patients. Through the collaborative agreement, Bayfront Health will contract with USF Health physicians to provide services in key medical and surgical specialties to better meet the needs of patients in local communities served by Bayfront Health St. Petersburg.
The strategic alliance establishes Bayfront Health St. Petersburg as the primary affiliate of USF Health, the region’s only academic health center, within the hospital’s service area of mid-to-south Pinellas County.
Dr. Charles J. Lockwood, senior vice president for USF Health and dean of Morsani College of Medicine, with Kathryn J. Gillette, Bayfront Health Market President and CEO.
“An affiliation with USF Health – a leader in the Tampa Bay Area in medical education and research – will contribute to the success of Bayfront Health as the community’s preeminent choice for health care services of the highest quality,” said Bayfront Health Market President and CEO, Kathryn J. Gillette. “Patients utilizing Bayfront Health St. Petersburg’s services can expect to benefit from the leading clinical practices that put patients first,” Gillette said.
“This affiliation in key specialties unites USF Health’s dedication to translating discoveries to best-practice clinical care and Bayfront Health’s commitment to patient-centered care,” said Charles J. Lockwood, MD, senior vice president of USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine. “We look forward to engaging with Bayfront Health St. Petersburg in ways that will improve health outcomes for patients. As we move forward to enhance the value of health care in the Tampa Bay community, we are seeking to enhance patient care and satisfaction by improving outcomes, providing better quality and lowering costs.”
The affiliation is expected to launch this month with physicians who practice in the specialty areas of general and interventional cardiology and colorectal surgery. USF Health and Bayfront Health are also exploring physician practices in the areas of breast cancer, urogynecology and reproductive endocrinology.
About Bayfront Health St. Petersburg
Serving the Tampa Bay community since 1906, Bayfront Health St. Petersburg is a 480-bed private teaching hospital located in St. Petersburg. In addition to accreditation by The Joint Commission, Bayfront is certified as Pinellas County’s only Level II trauma center with Bayflite (air medical flight program), Level III regional perinatal intensive care center, primary stroke center, chest pain center w/PCI, Level IV epilepsy center and Joint Commission certified in hip and knee replacement. For more information, visit www.bayfrontstpete.com
The strength of Bayfront Health St. Petersburg is in the depth and breadth of the physicians and specialists available, as well as in the expertise and resources available to our patients.
Bayfront Health St. Petersburg is the regional flagship hospital for a network of hospitals along Florida’s Gulf Coast. The other hospitals are: Bayfront Health Brooksville, Bayfront Health Spring Hill, Venice Regional Bayfront Health, Bayfront Health Port Charlotte, Bayfront Health Punta Gorda and Bayfront Health Dade City. Combined, these hospitals will care for more than 66,000 inpatients, 202,000 ER visits, nearly 57,000 surgeries, and more than 500,000 outpatient visits.
About USF Health
USF Health’s mission is to envision and implement the future of health. It is the partnership of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Public Health, the College of Pharmacy, the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, and the USF Physician’s Group. The University of South Florida is a Top 50 research university in total research expenditures among both public and private institutions nationwide, according to the National Science Foundation. For more information, visit www.health.usf.edu
Media contacts:
Elena Mesa, Public Information Officer, Bayfront Health St. Petersburg
Elena.Mesa@bayfronthealth.com or (727) 893-6831
Anne DeLotto Baier, USF Health Communications
abaier@health.usf.edu or (813) 974-3303
Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications
