A special connection to nature
Mobi mats are portable, durable mat systems that are designed to provide accessibility to beaches, parks and other outdoor locations for individuals using wheelchairs or with limited abilities. Pasco County now has the mats installed at SunWest Park, Green Key Beach (Robert K. Rees Memorial Park Beach), Anclote River Park, Moon Lake Park and Hudson Beach (Robert J. Strickland Memorial Park). Hudson Beach, shown here, was the fifth park to have a mobi mat installed.
New inpatient unit
BayCare, a provider of behavioral health services, will expand with the addition of a 24-bed inpatient psychiatric and medical unit at St. Joseph’s Hospital-North in Lutz, 4211 Van Dyke Road.
The St. Joseph’s Hospital-North Unit for Psychiatry and Medical Services (UPM) is expected to open in mid-April, according to a news release.
“UPM will deliver care in a nontraditional way from most mental health programs,” said Anthony Santucci, BayCare director of behavioral health nursing, in the release.
The unit will treat patients simultaneously for both medical and psychiatric diagnoses and needs, said Santucci.
A former medical/surgical unit at the hospital has been redesigned and constructed to meet the regulatory requirements for licensed inpatient psychiatry. The design changes are mostly from a safety perspective and include changes to furniture, beds, shower facilities, sink fixtures and ceilings.
The UPM will be staffed by registered nurses, mental health technicians, patient care technicians, behavioral health therapists, psychiatrists and medical hospitalists (hospital-based doctors).
