St. Anthony's Receives Grant from Bon Secours to Help Provide Medical Respite Care for the Homeless

$14,000 Grant to Benefit Medical Respite Program at Pinellas Hope

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., (Sept. 8, 2014) -- St. Anthony’s Hospital recently was awarded a $14,000 grant from Bon Secours Health System and its’ 2014 Healthy Communities Initiatives program to benefit the Medical Respite Program at Pinellas Hope, a local temporary aftercare program for homeless persons discharged from St. Anthony’s Hospital or a Morton Plant Mease hospital.

The Medical Respite Program at Pinellas Hope has assisted more than 200 clients since the program started in 2009, offering temporary shelter to homeless persons discharged from a Pinellas BayCare Health Care facility who are too medically frail to return to the streets but continue to need access and assistance to follow-up care. Through the program, a case manager helps establish medical homes and follow-up visits with a primary care provider, assists with accessing medical benefits, transportation to and from appointments, coordinates home health care visits through BayCare Home Health, and assists with medications access and education.

"We truly appreciate the generosity from Bon Secours to help us continue providing medical assistance for the homeless in the medical respite program at Pinellas Hope,” said Sr. Mary McNally, OSF, vice president of mission integration, St. Anthony’s Hospital.  “Together, we further both of our goals of building healthier communities and we continue our mission within Pinellas County of caring for the underserved needing medical care.” 

Pinellas Hope is a temporary emergency shelter for over 250 homeless men and women, located in Clearwater on 20 acres provided by Bishop Robert N. Lynch and the Diocese of St. Petersburg. Pinellas Hope is located at 5726 126th Ave N., and assists the residents with job and housing placement.

The medical respite program is a collaborative partnership between Pinellas Hope – Catholic Charities of the  Diocese of St. Petersburg and BayCare Health System and its’ hospitals including St. Anthony’s Hospital and the Morton Plant Mease hospitals. As part of the larger Pinellas Hope community, the medical respite program provides crucial services to the most vulnerable adults while working toward increased health education and access to basic medical services for clients of the program that can help decrease further hospitalizations and emergency room visits.

“Bon Secours is honored to support St. Anthony’s role in the medical respite program, says Chitra Naidu, liaison for Healthy Communities Initiative of Bon Secours. “We are committed to creating communities of health, hope and well-being and supporting this program is part of our long term goals of working with several local organizations to improve the quality of life for many in need in the communities we serve.”

About St. Anthony’s Hospital 
St. Anthony’s Hospital is a 395-bed hospital founded in 1931 as a ministry of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany and was the first faith-based hospital in Pinellas County. The hospital continues its rich history dedicated to improving the health of the community by providing high-quality, innovative and compassionate care. St. Anthony’s has received the 2013 American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus Performance Achievement award.  St. Anthony’s Susan Sheppard McGillicuddy Breast Center has received accreditation from both the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers and the American College of Radiology. For more information on St. Anthony’s, call (727) 953-6993. 

About Morton Plant Mease
Nationally recognized for health care excellence, Morton Plant Mease Health Care is dedicated to providing community owned health care services that set the standard for high-quality, compassionate care. Morton Plant Mease Health Care is comprised of the following hospitals – Morton Plant, Clearwater; Mease Dunedin, Dunedin; Mease Countryside, Safety Harbor and Morton Plant North Bay, New Port Richey.

About BayCare Health System
BayCare Health System is a leading community-based health system in the Tampa Bay area. Composed of a network of 11 not-for-profit hospitals, outpatient facilities and services such as imaging, lab, behavioral health and home health care, BayCare provides expert medical care throughout a patient’s lifetime. With more than 200 access points conveniently located throughout Tampa Bay, BayCare connects patients to a complete range of preventive, diagnostic and treatment services for any health care need. 

BayCare’s family of hospitals are: Mease Countryside, Mease Dunedin, Morton Plant, Morton Plant North Bay, St. Anthony’s, St. Joseph’s, St. Joseph’s Children’s, St. Joseph’s Hospital-North, St. Joseph’s Women’s, South Florida Baptist, and Winter Haven. For more information, visit BayCare on the Web at www.BayCare.org.

About Bon Secours St. Petersburg Health System
Bon Secours St. Petersburg Health System is comprised of Bon Secours Maria Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation Care Center, Bon Secours Place at St. Petersburg, and Bon Secours St. Petersburg Home Health Care Services, Inc.  Bon Secours Maria Manor is a 274-bed licensed nursing care center offering skilled and long-term care nursing, a dedicated Alzheimer’s unit, a skilled inpatient rehabilitation program, and an outpatient rehabilitation program. Bon Secours Place, a 102-unit assisted living facility, is one of the first assisted living facilities in the nation to receive Joint Commission accreditation.  Bon Secours St. Petersburg Home Health Care Services provides faith-based home care services for Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco counties. 

About Bon Secours Healthy Community Initiative
Bon Secours Health System is committed to creating communities of health, hope and well-being. In 2008, the health system launched the Healthy Communities Initiative in each of the localities it serves with the goal of improving access to quality healthcare, functional and affordable housing, education, employment, public safety and recreational and cultural opportunities – all the many things that must come together to create a healthy community. Bon Secours is developing long term, collaborative relationships with the people who live and work in selected neighborhoods in the communities we serve and with other local organizations so that together, the community can identify and address priorities to improve the quality of life and health. For more information about Bon Secours St. Petersburg Health System and the Bon Secours Healthy Community Initiative, visit the website at www.bonsecoursstpete.org.

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