Bayfront Health St. Petersburg Hospital is scheduled to be renamed next month, marking the second rebranding of the former city-owned hospital in more than a decade.
South St. Petersburg Hospital will be known as Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital starting March 1, reflecting its status as part of the medical chain that acquired the hospital in 2020.
Temporary signage with the new name will be installed immediately, Orlando health officials said. Permanent signage is expected to be installed later this year.
“We are proud to be a part of the St. Petersburg community,” said John Moore, president of Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital and senior vice president of Orlando Health Western Region. . “The transition to Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital will provide many benefits to both our patients and community partners as we continue to grow and work with Orlando Health.”
Bayfront is the city’s oldest and largest hospital, with 480 beds. It is the only Level 2 trauma center in Pinellas County.
Good Samaritan Hospital was established in 1910 as a result of the pastor’s efforts to establish a public hospital in the city. After multiple expansions and several name changes, it became a nonprofit organization and was finally renamed Bayfront Medical Center in 1970.
Orlando Health’s acquisition of Bayfront from Community Health Systems comes with new investment at the hospital, where nurses have warned of layoffs and declining quality of care. .
It will include a 132,000-square-foot, four-story building known as the Medical Pavilion that will offer specialized treatments for colorectal, thoracic, lung, head and neck, breast and skin cancers, among others. is included. It is scheduled to open next year.
The hospital’s new name is just another iteration of the hospital’s long history, said Kanika Tomalin, CEO and chairman of the Health St. Petersburg Foundation and former deputy mayor and city administrator of St. Petersburg.
She said Orlando Health is delivering on its commitment to continue providing care to all city residents, including the poorest residents. This rebranding demonstrates Health Chain’s commitment to expanding medical services in the community.
“Having Orlando Health here is good for our community hospitals, good for our health care and good for the patients we serve,” she said. “What’s really important is that the quality of care there is consistent.”
The foundation oversees $164 million in assets dedicated to addressing racial, social and structural barriers to health in Pinellas County. It was established with proceeds from the city’s sale of a nonprofit hospital.
Tomalin said Orlando Health is also investing in care outside of the hospital, including $2 million in matching grants provided to the foundation over the past two fiscal years.
“This is part of a larger strategy to continue to grow, and that only means better care for our community,” she said.
