St. Joseph's Hospital - North

04/24/2026

Keeping young athletes safe starts with prevention. BayCare Kids is expanding access to pediatric EKG screenings to support Florida’s new state requirement and give families peace of mind.
👉 Learn more: https://bit.ly/4cBcV5J

BayCare is leading the region’s response to Florida’s new mandatory EKG screening requirement for student athletes by expanding access through its pediatric cardiology expertise and community partnerships.

04/23/2026

During National Volunteer Appreciation Week, April 19 to 25, we celebrate our hospital volunteers who share their time and talent with us! Volunteers are an integral part of the care we provide and add a valued dimension to our hospital. They do so much and don’t ask for anything in return. As they work in the gift shop, run errands or simply comfort someone with a smile, our volunteers serve the needs of visitors, patients, patients' families and team members.

For the calendar year 2025, an average of 120 volunteers provided a total of 19, 930 hours of service. In 2025, they escorted 22,450 people and assisted with 5,675 patient discharges. Golf cart volunteers gave 2,876 rides and our pet therapy volunteers made 9,748 people smile.

Pictured are just a few of our volunteers in their roles. These roles include:
• Working in the gift shop.
• Escorting or transporting visitors and patients inside and outside our hospital.
• Assisting patients and providing information to families and loved ones in the preop/recovery waiting area.
• Providing pet therapy to patients, visitors, medical staff and team members.

04/20/2026

The week of April 19 to 25 is Medical Laboratory Professionals Week! Their work behind the scenes with lab tests and analyses is essential in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease.

Our lab is CAP Accredited by the College of American Pathologists. CAP accreditation demonstrates our laboratory’s commitment to the highest quality and patient care. Thanks to our lab professionals for your dedication and diligence and extraordinary service on behalf of our patients!

Photos include some of our lab professionals in their work environment with the complex, impressive and intricate devices, apparatuses, machines and equipment that are the tools of their trade.

04/16/2026

April is Donate Life Month and the observation helps create awareness about organ and tissue donation. At St. Joseph's Hospital-North, we take pride in supporting patients and families in their donation decisions.

We were honored in 2025 with a Silver Recognition award from the LifeLink Foundation for our support for patients and their families in their donation decisions. The LifeLink Foundation is a nonprofit community service organization dedicated to the recovery of organs and tissue for transplantation therapy.

Photos include ICU team members and management with the Donate Life flag and the flag being flown in our hospital courtyard. When the flag is on our courtyard flagpole, it signifies a patient has donated an organ or tissue. The Donate Life flag will be on the flagpole for the entirety of April to celebrate Donate Life Month.

Other photos include:
• Our campus lighted all of April in blue and green, the colors of Donate Life. The colors alternate back and forth between blue and green for a few seconds all night long.
• Our previously mentioned award.
• A display in a corridor where our team members could write a message of encouragement to persons waiting for an organ or tissue donation.

04/13/2026

Our Team Member of the Month (TMOM) award celebrates the dedication and exceptional work of a team member and is a way to say a special “Thanks” for a job well done. It’s a way to acknowledge a super team member both internally inside our hospital and to the community.

Our TMOM feature today is Alla, an environmental services (EVS) technician. As an EVS tech, Alla is a part of the team that keeps our hospital clean, sanitized and safe for patients, visitors and team members.

Alla consistently goes far beyond the expectations of her position. She not only ensures that patient rooms and hospital spaces are impeccably clean and safe but Alla takes the time to build personal connections with patients, their families and staff. She got to know one patient and their family so well that she visited the patient and family after discharge and remains in touch with them to ensure all are doing well. This is an example of her compassionate and empathetic nature.

She is described as a “bright light” in the hospital experience, bringing comfort, warmth and kindness when people need it most. She is a bright light to patients and staff for her engaging personality.

As for her EVS responsibilities, Alla has a tireless energy, attention to detail, commitment to excellence and takes pride in her work. She has an innate “sixth sense” and often knows what needs to be done before being asked.

From Alla’s TMOM nomination documents: “She embodies what it means to serve with heart, compassion and humanity. She has built a reputation throughout the hospital as someone who is loved and respected by all – patients, families and colleagues alike….She acknowledges and engages with warmth and she honors humanity through the pride she takes in her work.”

Congratulations Alla as a TMOM and thank you for representing in fine fashion the BayCare guiding principles of trust, dignity, respect, responsibility and excellence!

04/10/2026

St. Joseph’s Hospital-North has added the latest and most state-of-the-art MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) technology to its diagnostic imaging services.

The $2 million MRI offers patients:
• 30% to 40% less scanning time on the MRI table.
• 70% reduction in sound.
• Higher resolution exams.
• Faster turnaround time for diagnosis.
• A detachable table allowing 50% less patient transferring from stretcher to table. Normally, four transfers would be required to and from the machine. The new technology, with the detachable table, requires only two transfers.
• A clearer image without blurring for patients with metal implants in the body such as those in the spine or with artificial hips or knee replacements. In typical MRIs, blurring can occur for these patients hindering in producing an accurate image.

Among the uses of MRIs are diagnosing spine conditions, breast cancer evaluations and in stroke care. The MRI is used for both inpatients and outpatients.

Chris, our imaging manager, said the motive for the hospital’s purchase of the new MRI was to ensure an excellent patient experience.

“People often don’t like to spend a lot of time getting an MRI, they can get claustrophobic feelings,” Chris said. “This reduces significantly the amount of time on the table and the reduction of noise is important too, less noise is calming.”

Chris also noted that the MRI tunnel is lighted with expansive space to limit the claustrophobic feelings.

“The new MRI is another example of St. Joseph’s Hospital-North’s commitment to bring the best health care experience to the North Tampa community,” Chris said. “We’re trying to make MRIs friendlier, take less time and increase patient comfort.”

Visit the link to learn more about BayCare imaging services or to schedule an appointment: bit.ly/49Bd8pB

Photos include the MRI being transported earlier this year to our hospital via a tractor trailer and a MRI blessing held April 6.

04/09/2026

For the third straight year, BayCare is one of USA TODAY's Top Workplaces in 2026! We’re proud to foster a culture that cares where people can grow and thrive and make a lasting impact on the communities we serve. 💙 https://bit.ly/41k1vhN Energage

The national award by USA Today Top Workplaces reflects BayCare’s people‑first culture and commitment to helping team members grow, thrive and make the difference.

04/08/2026

💙 BayCare is bringing proton therapy, the most advanced treatment available for cancer, to West Central Florida, centrally located in Tampa. The BayCare Proton Center, located on the St. Joseph’s Hospital campus, is expected to open in the coming months. Watch the new commercial preview and share in the excitement.

04/07/2026

St. Joseph's Hospital-North is excited to share BayCare's 2025 Report to the Community. Meet the people and partnerships moving care forward and read stories about how BayCare is reimagining health care, investing in our communities and staying true to our mission to improve the health of all we serve. Click the photo below to read the BayCare Newsroom article.

From increased community benefit spending to expanded services and physician training, BayCare’s 2025 Report to the Community reflects meaningful progress in improving access to care across the region.

04/06/2026

This week is designated as National Robotics Week celebrating the technology in many different industries, applications and uses. We'll use the Robotics Week opportunity to feature our robot-assisted surgeries that are minimally invasive, can provide patients with smaller incisions, less pain and faster recoveries compared to standard open surgery. We have three robots that are guided by St. Joseph’s Hospital-North surgeons who are specially-trained and experienced in robotic surgery. We perform robotic surgeries in colorectal, general surgery, gynecology and urologic procedures.

We are accredited as a Center of Excellence in Robotic Surgery by the Surgical Review Corporation (SRC). SRC is a leading independent, external evaluator of programs and services for surgeons and hospitals. The designation signifies that our robotic surgery services provide the highest quality of care to patients.

Read the recent The Laker - Lutz News article about our robotic surgery and the addition of our third surgical robot: https://bit.ly/4v9q9iz

The article was front page in the News' print edition! The gallery includes screenshots of the print article.

Also, read more about our robotic surgery services: https://bit.ly/3PZVHHA

04/05/2026

Easter is the most important day in the Christian liturgical year. It commemorates and celebrates the central belief of the Christian faith - the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Today starts the beginning of the Easter season of the liturgical year. In the Catholic Church, the Easter season continues for 50 days, through the Ascension of Our Lord to Pentecost Sunday, seven full weeks after Easter Sunday.

May the glory and the promise of this time of year bring peace and happiness to you and to those you hold most dear.

An Easter prayer:
Lord, the resurrection of Your Son has given us new life and renewed hope. Help us to live as new people in pursuit of the Christian ideal. Grant us wisdom to know what we must do, the will to want to do it, the courage to undertake it, the perseverance to continue to do it, and the strength to complete it.
— New Saint Joseph People's Prayer Book

Photos include our hospital chapel taken on Monday of Holy Week and religious symbols in our hospital. Holy Week is the week before Easter beginning with Palm Sunday last Sunday and ending with Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday.

04/03/2026

We've concluded "Physicians Week" and "Doctors Day" celebrations, a special time dedicated to honoring our doctors. A final word to cap the week and express our deepest gratitude to our doctors for their proficiency, devotion and service.

Thank you for making the difference every day and inspiring us with your skill and your unwavering commitment and dedication to outstanding and excellent patient care. You always put patients first and selflessly care for their health. You truly deserve our sincere appreciation.

The gallery includes some of our physicians. Also, see our post of March 31 for some additional doctor photos!