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St. Joseph’s Hospital-North turns five By B.C. Manion
bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
When St. Joseph’s Hospital-North opened its doors five years ago, it was the first new hospital built in Hillsborough County in 30 years. “Our goal was to provide a health care alternative in this community because there really weren’t many alternatives,” said Paula McGuiness, president of the hospital, at 4211 Van Dyke Road in Lutz.. “It was an underdeveloped medical infrastructure, if you will. There weren’t many doctors out here. There certainly wasn’t a hospital,” McGuiness said. People needing to go to a hospital had to drive 13 miles or more, she added. “That was why this was built.” The hospital acquired the land in the 1980s, anticipating a future need, McGuiness said. Since St. Joseph’s Hospital-North began operations on Feb. 15, 2010, both Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel and Medical Center of Trinity, in neighboring Pasco County, have opened their doors. “You would think that it would have a big impact on the volume of patients that we see, but, in fact, there has not been much change, overall,” McGuiness said. More than a half-million people visited a loved one at St. Joseph’s Hospital-North during the hospital’s first five years, and it treated nearly a quarter-million patients. The hospital’s work force has grown, too. It began with around 425 employees and now exceeds 575, McGuiness said. Many employees have been there since it opened. “We have a lot of team members who previously had worked in places like St. Pete and Clearwater, so now, we have provided a close-to-home work environment,” she said. There’s also a medical office building on the property, housing physicians from a wide array of specialty areas. The hospital has an ambulance service and a helipad, enabling it to transport patients to other facilities when necessary. In fact, when St. Joseph’s Hospital-North was planning to move into Lutz, one of the most controversial aspects was its intention to have a helipad.
B.C. MANION/STAFF PHOTOS
The main entrance to St. Joseph’s Hospital-North, a hospital located in Lutz that is celebrating its fifth anniversary with a community event on April 11.
“People were concerned we were going to be bringing in helicopters to be a port here. We’re not transporting in. What we do is we do transfer out,” McGuiness said. The hospital was built with comfort in mind, for both patients and their families. “The aesthetics don’t make the care, but they are a kind of backdrop for the kind of care that we provide,” McGuiness said. “If you can provide an ambience, an environment that is soothing and restful and doesn’t have that sterile, stereotypic hospital feel, then you can support the health and well-being of individuals that come here.” Along those lines, the hospital’s common areas are spacious and inviting, and all patient rooms are private. The patient rooms are designed with the notion that family members would be active participants in their loved one’s care, McGuiness said. “Even with the ICU (intensive care unit), we allow the family to stay in the room with the patient during their stay, if that’s what they desire,” McGuiness said. “It’s not just the patient, it is the family that needs that type of support.” In terms of construction, the hospital was built to accommodate future expansion.
St. Joseph’s Hospital-North 5th anniversary
WHEN: April 11, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. WHERE: St. Joseph’s Hospital-North, 4211 Van Dyke Road in Lutz WHO: All are welcome WHAT: Children’s activities; health and wellness demonstrations and speakers; baby play area; a reunion of babies born at the hospital with the doctors and nurses who cared for them; food trucks; wellness screenings; live entertainment; a teddy bear clinic (bring your own teddy bear patient); and, judging of a baby photo contest the hospital conducted on its Facebook page throughout March. Pre-registration is not required, but is appreciated. Please call (813) 644-6772.
It also was designed with the environment and energy conservation in mind. St. Joseph’s Hospital-North was the first acute hospital in Florida to be LEED (Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design)-registered by the U.S. Green See HOSPITAL, page 9A
Citizens Academy connects the dots By Kathy Steele
ksteele@lakerlutznews.com
The class kicked off with a “show-andtell” display of Pasco County’s firefighting and rescue vehicles in the parking lot outside of the county’s Emergency Operations Center. It ended with an up-close look inside the command center of the county’s 911 operations. “It was fascinating,” said Nancy Menendez. The Land O’ Lakes resident expressed surprise that the 911 center wasn’t larger. Blinking red lights mounted at each cubicle signaled a call in progress. Menendez noticed the even-keeled, calm tones of call operators and dispatchers as they answered nearly nonstop calls in rapidfire succession. She is one of about 20 students chosen from about 50 applicants to attend the county’s third Citizens Academy. The first academy was in 2014. There are two semesters a year, in spring and fall. Anyone who lives or works in Pasco, and is 18 years of age or older, can qualify. Students in each semester come from all five of the county’s election districts.
The goal is to inform residents about local government as well as their roles as participants. The hope also is that students who come to the academy will want to be ambassadors, sign up for advisory boards or find other ways to volunteer. “Most of the folks learn something,” said Randy TeBeest, assistant county administrator for public safety. “I’m betting they learn a lot. This really gives them an idea of where tax dollars go to and why and how we decide to spend those precious dollars.” Menendez found herself in the academy after discovering the program on a random search through the government website. “It really sounded interesting,” said Menendez who at age 59 is beginning to think about retirement. “I’m not going to sit home and watch TV,” she said. “I’m going to get involved. I want to see what I want to do in my future life. I’ve been enjoying this. It’s an experience I’ve not expected.” Each class focuses on a specific area of government such as constitutional officers or planning and development. Last week’s See ACADEMY, page 9A
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APRIL 8, 2015
KATHY STEELE/STAFF PHOTOS
New Port Richey resident Marilyn Shaw gets an inside look at a fire rescue vehicle with help from Keith Hoffman, emergency medical technician with Pasco County Fire Rescue Station 14.
COURTESY OF JACKSON & MOSER PHOTOGRAPHY
Erynn Marshall and Carl Jones will perform at the Florida Old Time Music Championship on April 10 and April 11.
Musicians, fans celebrate old time music By Michael Murillo
mmurillo@lakerlutznews.com
When people listen to songs from the 1960s, they might consider it “old” music. The upcoming Florida Old Time Music Championship also features music from the ’60s. The 1860s, that is. “It’s the kind of music that people who lived during pioneer times in early Florida would have actually played,” said Jessica Budin, office manager for the Pioneer Florida Museum & Village, where the event will be on April 10 and April 11. Old time music is a genre of North American folk music that contains elements from the European countries from where the settlers came. It is characterized by acoustic string instruments such as the fiddle, guitar or banjo and can be instrumental or include vocals. Listeners might hear some similarities with bluegrass music, but old time music actually pre-dates that genre. The Florida Old Time Music championship is an opportunity to bring performers together and celebrate historic music, and the event itself is getting up there in years. Now in its 33rd year, it continues to bring musicians and fans of this style of music from across Florida, and even some from out of state as well. The event began at the museum, but relocated after about a decade. A few years ago it moved back, and the creators of the competition are happy to see it return to See MUSIC, page 9A