- Photo 2: Attendees listen to speakers at the grand opening, seated under the porte cochere of the new Dr. Jay Weil Center for Hospice Care. Photo courtesy of Gulfside Healthcare Services
- Photo 3: Dr. Jay Weil speaks at the grand opening, with Carla Armstrong, Director of Philanthropy (foreground in blue) and Linda Ward, president and CEO, looking on. Photo courtesy of Gulfside Healthcare Services
- Photo 4: Guests tour the new Gulfside care center. Photo courtesy of Gulfside Healthcare Services
- Photo 1: Leigh Massengill, former chair of Gulfside’s board and former CEO of Trinity Hospital, with Linda L. Ward, president and CEO of Gulfside Healthcare Services. Photo courtesy of Gulfside Healthcare Services
- Photo 5: Guests enjoyed appetizers and beverages while celebrating the grand opening. Photo courtesy of Gulfside Healthcare Services
Center provides hospice care options
NEW PORT RICHEY – Gulfside Healthcare Services celebrated the opening of its newest inpatient care facility Sept. 19 in New Port Richey.
Guests not only toured patient rooms and family areas but also applauded the announcement of a gift by Dr. Jay Weil. The new care center will be called the Dr. Jay Weil Center for Hospice Care in honor of his generosity.
The new Gulfside Center for Hospice Care features 24 private patient rooms designed for comfort and dignity, as well as private gathering spaces where families can spend time together in peace and privacy. The grounds also offer a memorial butterfly garden with a serene fountain and a covered pergola, providing a tranquil space for remembrance and reflection.
The center provides specialized, round-the-clock services for patients who require a higher level of care, as well as respite care for families of hospice patients. It also offers programs such as The Gift of Time, a compassionate extubation program that supports patients and families in making the most of meaningful final moments together.
“This new facility represents our unwavering commitment to providing exceptional, compassionate care to patients and families when they need it most,ˮ said Linda L. Ward, president and CEO of Gulfside Healthcare Services. “We’re honored to open our doors to the community and share the healing, comfort and peace that this center will provide.”
AdventHealth Sebring Expands Internal Medicine Residency Clinic
SEBRING – AdventHealth Sebring’s Internal Medicine Residency Clinic has relocated to a larger facility at 4421 Sun N Lake Blvd., Suite B.
The new space includes 16 exam rooms, which is more than triple the previous location, allowing physicians to serve more patients.
The clinic supports 31 resident physicians training to become independent doctors through hands-on experience and AdventHealth’s whole-person care model.
“At our Internal Medicine residency program, every patient benefits from the compassionate care of our dedicated resident physicians, paired with the expertise of our talented and knowledgeable attending doctors,” said Dr. Thomas Shimshak, program director.
BayCare to break ground on behavioral health building
NEW PORT RICHEY – BayCare plans to break ground this month on Pasco County’s first Behavioral Health Central Receiving Facility at 8002 King Helie Blvd.
The center will offer crisis intervention, assessment and referral services for those facing mental health or substance use crises.
The $2 million project expands on BayCare’s Integrated Stabilization Unit and is expected to open next summer.
Hospital offers free one-day childbirth class
LUTZ – St. Joseph’s Hospital-North, 4211 Van Dyke Road, will host a free Comprehensive Childbirth Class on Nov. 8, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The one-day session is ideal for busy parents-to-be and covers labor, birth, breastfeeding and newborn care, led by RN-certified childbirth educators.
The class also includes a tour of the hospital’s private labor and delivery, mother and baby, and NICU rooms, featuring two couplet care rooms where mothers and babies stay together.
Registration is required at BayCareEvents.org or by calling 855-314-8352 and pressing 2.
Pink on Parade raises awareness and hope
SEBRING – More than 260 people dressed in pink Oct. 5 joined AdventHealth Sebring Foundation’s annual Pink on Parade 5K and 1-mile walk to honor breast cancer patients, survivors and loved ones.
Among them was nurse and survivor Jacqueline Loney, who was diagnosed at 37 and inspired by her care team to enter nursing.
“Some of the best nurses I had either had cancer or had someone close to them with cancer,” Loney said. “I wanted to have that same level of compassion for someone else and help in their journey.”
Since 2017, the event has raised more than $300,000 for early detection and treatment.
Learn more or schedule a mammogram at scheduleyourmammo.com.
Event promotes early detection
TRINITY – Community members in Trinity attended AdventHealth’s “Her Health Matters” on Oct. 4, featuring expert panels, mobile mammography screenings and a variety of clinical and wellness vendors.
Participants were able to speak with healthcare professionals and gain knowledge about prevention, early detection and treatment options.
Tiffany Nieters, lead mammographer at AdventHealth North Pinellas, said getting a mammogram is a quick and easy step women can take for their health that could potentially be lifesaving. Mammograms can take about 15 minutes.
“They sometimes hear horror stories and once they get here they see it, and they realize it’s not that bad,” Nieters said. “So, events like this show exactly what they’re going to be having done and they see how easy it is.”
Get answers on Medicare
- PETERSBURG – SHINE (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders) is a free program offered by the Florida Department of Elder Affairs and the Area Agency on Aging of Pasco & Pinellas.
Specially trained volunteers can assist you with your Medicare, Medicaid and Health insurance questions by providing one-on-one counseling and information.
They’ll answer questions at the following Medicare Basics programs:
- Medicare Fraud Prevention: Oct. 16 at 1 p.m. at Seminole Community Library, 9200 113th St. N., Seminole. 727-394-6922.
- Medicare Part C Advantage Plans: Oct. 20 at 4:30 p.m. at Clearwater Countryside Library, 2642 Sabal Springs Drive, Clearwater. 727-562-4970.
- Medicare Open Enrollment Presentation: Oct. 21 at 11 a.m. at AdventHealth North Pinellas, 1395 S. Pinellas Ave., Tarpon Springs.
- Medicare Part C Advantage Plans: Oct. 21 at 2:30 p.m. at Aging Well Center, 1501 N. Belcher Road, Clearwater. 727-562-4904.
- Medicare Part C Advantage Plans: Oct. 30 at 11 a.m. at the Safety Harbor Public Library, 101 2nd St. N., Safety Harbor. 727-724-1525.
- Medicare Basics: Oct. 16 at 10:30 a.m. at the New River Library, 34043 FL 54, Wesley Chapel. 813-788-6375.
- Medicare Basics: Oct. 18 at 10 a.m. at the Land O’ Lakes Library, 2818 Collier Pkwy., Land O’ Lakes. 813-929-1214.
- Medicare Open Enrollment Period: Oct. 21 at 11 a.m. at Advent Health North Pinellas, 1395 S. Pinellas Ave., Tarpon Springs.
- Medicare Basics: Oct. 23 at 10:30 a.m. at the Hugh Embry Library, 14215 4th St, Dade City. 352-567-3576.
- Medicare Basics: Oct. 28 at 10:30 a.m. at the Centennial Park Library, 5740 Moog Road, Holiday. 727-834-3204.
SHINE services are free, unbiased and confidential. Counselors do not sell anything. They can be reached by calling 1-800-963-5337 or 727-217-8111.
