BayCare Ambulatory Services to Begin Normal Operation

As Florida begins to gradually open following statewide closings in response to COVID-19, BayCare is resuming more services starting May 11. 

BayCare hospitals resumed elective surgeries on May 4, now some of the system’s ambulatory services are coming back online. At all locations, enhanced infection control measures are in effect to protect patients, team members, physicians and the community.

All BayCare Urgent Care centers and some BayCare Imaging and BayCare Laboratories sites will be open for business starting May 11. 

“We’re opening some ambulatory locations, following Gov. Ron DeSantis’ recent decision to open the state,” said Jim Cote, senior vice president for Ambulatory Services at BayCare. “We have plans in place to ensure the safety of our patients as we provide high-quality care.” 

BayCare Urgent Care 

BayCare Urgent Care will resume normal operation at all of its locations on May 11, serving adults and children ages two and older with minor illnesses and injuries, flu and colds, sprains and strains, minor cuts, stings and burns. BayCare Urgent Care had closed some locations and had shifted some of its services and resources to operate drive-thru testing sites for COVID-19 across the Tampa Bay area.

The Urgent Care centers, which provide a total care experience including X-rays, laboratories, EKGs and dispensing of certain medications, will open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. BayCare Urgent Care in St. Pete Beach will open at 9 a.m. on weekdays. View full list of locations here.

BayCare Imaging 

BayCare Imaging will resume full-service operations including mammography starting May 11. All non-urgent imaging services that were placed on hold due to COVID-19, will be available. 
BayCare Outpatient Imaging (Hyde Park) located at 2222 W. Swann Ave., Tampa, FL 33606 opened on May 4 and BayCare Outpatient Imaging (Bloomingdale) located at 2470 Bloomingdale Ave., Suite 115 Valrico, FL 33596 will open on May 11. View full list of locations here.

BayCare Laboratories 

BayCare Laboratories will open two out of its 11 locations, which were closed to shift resources to respond to COVID-19. Nine of those locations will continue to remain closed. However, two locations will resume their normal operations on May 11. 

Those locations include BayCare Laboratories (New Tampa) located at 17512 Dona Michelle Drive, Tampa FL 33647 and BayCare Laboratories (St. Anthony’s Medical Arts Building) located at 560 Jackson Street, Suite 301, St. Petersburg, FL 33705. View the list here. 

Are Patients Safe to Return? 

BayCare’s top priority is the health and safety of patients, physicians and team members. To ensure everyone is protected, BayCare has enhanced its standard safety processes and cleaning procedures based on safety guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Some of those measures include: 

• Continued screenings and temperature checks of everyone who enters BayCare Imaging and BayCare Laboratories 
• Constant and routinized cleaning of all spaces including exam rooms and waiting areas – to minimize infection risk.
• Patients will be scheduled more sporadically to allow additional time between visits and procedures to support social distancing.
• BayCare Urgent Care is doing remote patient registration to eliminate waiting in lobbies to help enhance social distancing
• Waiting rooms at BayCare Laboratories and BayCare Imaging have been redesigned to allow more space between patients
• Patients will be asked to come alone and bring no guests, unless the patient is disabled or a minor and needs assistance
• Patients will be asked to wear a mask. If the patient doesn’t have one, they will be provided one at the door. 
• Facilities have available supply of personal protection equipment for use when needed
• All BayCare team members have their temperatures checked when they report to work every day. Team members that are symptomatic are not allowed to come to work.
• All team members wear a mask for the safety of the patients

For more information on openings and closings, visit BayCare.org/Coronavirus.