St. Joseph's Hospital-South

02/12/2026

02/11/2026

Congratulations to David, a supply chain support representative, as the recipient of a BEE Award! BEE, an acronym for “Being Excellent Every Day," celebrates non-nursing team members supporting patient care. BEEs honor team members for the skilled and dedicated support they provide contributing to extraordinary care.

As a supply chain rep, David is part of the team that acquires, stores and delivers medical supplies and equipment used by health personnel to perform health services.

David was nominated by team members on our pediatrics unit. They commended him for his efficiency in inventory management, expert intuition at anticipating their urgent and immediate needs and making sure there are never shortages of crucial items. He is highly valued by the team for his skill, calmness and composure in the fast-paced, often unpredictable pediatric environment.

They cited an example in his nomination documents when the unit had an unexpected surge of many pediatric patients and had an extremely high census. With a high demand of medical supplies, David expertly worked with vendors and internal teams to replenish the inventory swiftly during a challenging time. The team did not miss a beat because of David’s actions.

Besides David’s technical and logistical skill in inventory management, he delivers “service with a smile.” He approaches his work with enthusiasm, optimism, positivity and a welcoming demeanor filled with kindness and humor. His style fosters a culture of mutual respect, teamwork and collaboration. David is accountable, responsible, takes ownership of his work, courteous, shares his knowledge and helps new staff navigate the complexities of supply chain.

From David’s BEE nomination documents: “…this person exemplifies the qualities celebrated by the BEE Award. (His) positive attitude, dedication to supporting nursing staff and exceptional efficiency in materials management have made a profound impact on our hospital. (He) not only is a reliable and skilled professional but also a source of inspiration and goodwill to everyone around….”

Congratulations David on the BEE and thank you for your stewardship and dedication in delivering seamless and timely services in supply chain!

02/09/2026

February is and Cardiovascular Professionals Week is celebrated this week! We are highlighting here team members caring for patients undergoing procedures in our cardiac catheterization lab. The cardiac cath lab is a surgical suite where procedures such as angioplasties and stents are performed. Angioplasties and stents open up blood vessels in heart patients. The cath lab is also where pacemakers and defibrillators are surgically implanted in patients.

Read more about heart and vascular services at St. Joseph's Hospital-South:
StJosephsSouthHeart.org

The photo gallery also gives you an inside look at a cath lab.

02/06/2026

Our heart is in the right place! February is with National Wear Red Day® on Friday, February 6. The wearing of red signifies our commitment to stamp out cardiovascular and heart disease.

Learn more about heart and vascular services we offer here at St. Joseph's Hospital-South: StJosephsSouthHeart.org

For this National Wear Red Day photo, we wore red and formed the shape of a heart with hands and fingers.

02/06/2026

As the region’s largest academic health system, we continue to grow, without losing the heart of who we are. 💙 You can lean on us to take care of you when you need us most. Watch our inspiring commercial and see what makes BayCare special: people who lift one another up and care guided by compassion and integrity.

02/05/2026

Congratulations to respiratory therapist John as recipient of a BEE Award! BEE, an acronym for “Being Excellent Every Day," celebrates non-nursing team members supporting patient care. BEEs honor team members for their skilled and dedicated support contributing to extraordinary patient care.

John was lauded for his work in our ICU. John excels in the intense, emotionally charged ICU environment. He has a calm, positive approach to his duties. John has superior clinical knowledge and judgment ensuring his patients receive the highest quality of care. He manages ventilators, responds quickly to emergency situations and provides important input to improve procedures and protocols. His BEE nomination documents note his professionalism, precision and incredible depth of knowledge.

John is appreciated for his willingness to step in and assist with patient care tasks that might not be his responsibility. He’ll help with patient mobility or repositioning and turning patients. His willingness to assist, even in difficult situations, reflects his true sense of teamwork and compassion. His focus is on patient well-being and team collaboration. His BEE nomination documents also note that he embodies what true health care teamwork represents, leading by example and selflessly going the extra mile without being asked. John provides inspiration to everyone around him.

More from his BEE nomination documents: “Every member of the ICU team can attest that working alongside this person is a privilege….deeply respected and genuinely appreciated by nurses, physicians and support staff…dedication, compassion and teamwork make (him) an irreplaceable part of our unit and outstanding example of what it means to deliver holistic, patient-centered care. In a field that demands so much of us physically and emotionally, individuals like this remind us of why we do what we do.”

Congratulations John on the BEE and for the respect and admiration of your ICU teammates for doing great things there! John is in the photos holding his BEE proclamation.

02/02/2026

February is raising awareness about cardiovascular disease prevention. We recommend that you regularly monitor your blood pressure. With support from your health care team, you can lower your risk for heart disease and stroke.

You can check your blood pressure at the doctor’s office, other medical locations, at home with a blood pressure monitoring device or for free at one of the Wellness Stations located in Publix Super Markets throughout the area and many BayCare locations. The Wellness Stations conveniently provide you with free, interactive screenings giving you personal health stats, including blood pressure, body weight and body mass index.

Pictured here are team members at the Wellness Station in our hospital’s main lobby. The Wellness Station here is used by visitors, team members, medical staff and others for quick self-checks. Wellness Stations like this one are located for you as previously mentioned in local Publix Super Markets and many BayCare locations.

02/01/2026

At BayCare, we honor the lived experience, profound legacy, and ongoing contributions of our Black team members this Black History Month. We are thankful for our team members who play a vital role in shaping our community's health. We recognize their stories, achievements and the value they bring to BayCare.

01/29/2026

The evening of January 23 was a super time of celebration with our milestones and excellence event held off-campus! The evening honored team members, management and leadership achieving milestone service anniversaries in 2025, honored 2025 St. Joseph's Hospital-South Team Members of the Month and announced Kay, hospital chaplain and spiritual care coordinator, as our 2025 Team Member of the Year.

Scroll through the gallery for some event scenes that capped off a great 2025 and set the stage for a fantastic 2026! The event had a “proud as a peacock” theme. Note the peacock decorations and props throughout.

Also, follow this page for a future post when we'll give you the who, what, why and how about Kay's award!

01/26/2026

We achieved our hospital's record number of robotic surgeries in 2025 with 1,107! That number surpassed our second-highest number of robotic surgeries of 739 in 2024. The third highest was 416 in 2023. The jump from 416 in 2023 to 1,107 in 2025 represents a 166% increase in that three-year period. We have performed nearly 4,000 robotic surgeries since 2016 in colorectal, general surgery, gynecology, gynecologic oncology, thoracic and urologic procedures.

Our surgeons are specially-trained and experienced in robotic surgery that can provide them superior dexterity, enhanced vision and improved surgical access compared to conventional minimally invasive surgery or traditional open surgery. The surgeon-guided robot navigates a precise approach to areas that traditional surgical instruments are unable to reach.

St. Joseph’s Hospital-South added a third surgical robot in 2025 to meet a growing demand for this innovative minimally invasive surgery.

"In 2025, we expanded access to robotic surgery to be available 24/7 for all patients and added an additional robot to our surgical department," said Jelissa, our hospital's surgical services director during the period of unprecedented growth. Jelissa now is BayCare director of system quality, safety and education for perioperative services.

"This means St. Joseph's Hospital-South surgeons can select the surgical approach best suited to each individual patient and condition—no matter when care is needed," Jelissa said. "With this expanded access, we served more than 1,000 patients in 2025, a significant increase compared to previous years. Offering the safest, most innovative technology to our patients is of utmost importance to us."

Scroll through the gallery to learn more about our robotic surgery services.

Also, visit our robotic surgery webpage: StJosephsSouthRobotics.org

01/22/2026

It's known here as TMOM, an acronym for Team Member of the Month. It’s one of the biggest highlights and “feel good” moments in our hospital each month as we recognize and celebrate a team member for their excellence. The award presentation is usually a surprise to the recipient and done by hospital leadership in front of the team member’s department or unit under the ruse of a training, meeting or another gathering.

Today, we honor TMOM Emilee, a physical therapist! Emilee has made extraordinary contributions in the development and implementation of our hospital’s pelvic floor program for both inpatients and outpatients. Originally an inpatient-only program, we began offering outpatient pelvic floor therapy in 2024.

Pelvic floor is by physician referral and Emilee communicates with area physicians on education. She talks with physicians about how the therapy might benefit their patients. Emilee has built strong professional relationships with physicians to grow our program locally. She collaborates with other hospital team members to support the program ensuring we maintain the highest care standards.

Emilee also teaches students offering them guidance and mentoring in her profession. Emilee also teaches a pregnancy course in the community. In short, Emilee does it all!

From Emilee’s TMOM nomination documents: “Emilee has demonstrated outstanding dedication, leadership and innovation. Her efforts have not only advanced the hospital’s services but also positively impacted the community.”

Congratulations Emilee and great job in growing our pelvic floor therapy program!

Find out more about our pelvic floor therapy in the photo gallery.

01/19/2026