PATIENT SPOTLIGHT
Trauma Team Helps Save Local Business Owner’s Life
The St. Joseph’s Hospital (SJH) Trauma Center is a state-designated level 2 trauma center with the experience and capability to treat some of the most seriously ill or injured patients in our community. When Ric Yambura was brought into the trauma center with severe injuries from a car accident, a committed team of surgeons and other clinicians worked diligently to save his life. Yambura, part-owner of the popular Dallas Bull nightclub in Tampa, was returning home after a shift in late November, when he was hit head-on by a wrong-way driver on an interstate exit ramp. An initial assessment by the SJH emergency and trauma teams revealed multiple life-threatening injuries, including severe blunt abdominal trauma that displaced his diaphragm and other major abdominal organs; extensive pelvic fractures that required significant blood transfusions and other lifesaving interventions including immediate surgery; and other fractures and chest injuries. Four physicians performed the three surgeries needed to save Yambura’s life. Yambura’s recovery journey is far from over, but through the support of his loved ones and the continued excellence of the SJH clinical staff, he is optimistic and determined to make a full recovery.
MISSION SPOTLIGHT

Prom Night for St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital Patients
This year’s prom was stellar! Last month, patients and families of St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital were provided with out-of-this-world fun during its space-themed prom, held in partnership with the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation. The hospital hosts prom night each year for its teenage patients who are unable to attend their own dances, and for younger patients who, due to chronic or life-threatening conditions, may never get the opportunity. The outer space adventure took place in the hospital’s Medical Arts Building on Saturday, April 20, and featured a glam station, arcade games, prom swag bags, dinner and lots of dancing on a LED interactive dance floor. The hospital’s Child Life team, with support from the St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital Foundation, organizes milestone events like the prom to provide patients with experiences that they might not otherwise have due to treatments and hospitalization.
EVENT SPOTLIGHT

The 2024 Hooked on Health Care Fishing Tournament
Our 3rd annual Hooked on Health Care Fishing Tournament was held on May 17 at Hula Bay Club and was a huge success! With 45 boats participating in the tournament, the event raised more than $165,000, benefiting St. Joseph’s Hospital. A special thank you to our presenting sponsor, Dorado Communications, our snook sponsor, Robins & Morton, and all our other generous sponsors. We are also grateful for the leadership of this year’s committee chair, Chris Bailey, senior construction project manager with BayCare Health Systems, for making this event a FIN-tastic time! Couldn’t make it this time, but still want to help us reel in some support? Visit bit.ly/4akvbxm and keep an eye out for information about next year’s tournament!
MISSION SPOTLIGHT

Heroes Ball Funds Purchase Portable MRI Machine
Thanks to all your incredible, record-breaking support during last month’s Heroes Ball, which benefited the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital, we have already been able to purchase a new state-of-the art portable MRI machine for our patients the first for our hospital. The Swoop Portable MR Imaging System, created by HyperFine, produces images at the point of care, without the need to transport. Benefits include improving critical care neuroimaging workflow, enabling rapid diagnoses and treatment of patients, and most importantly not requiring our young critical care patients to have to leave the comfort of their room or family member’s side. St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital is the first hospital on the west coast of Florida to receive the innovative, patient-centered system, and only the fourth location in the entire state. Training with the new machine will begin in June, with the goal to start using it on our PICU patients soon after.
FOUNDATION SPOTLIGHT

Foundation President Kate Sawa Wins 2024 TBBW Award
Congratulations to St. Joseph’s Hospitals Foundation President Kate Sawa for being honored as a finalist and winner in the Health Care category for the 2024 TBBW Women Who Win Awards! Women Who Win, an esteemed awards program by Tampa Bay Business & Wealth Magazine, celebrates the remarkable leadership of women whose contributions to their industries and communities are truly inspiring. Judges assessed criteria such as professional success, community engagement, and mentorship, underscoring their commitment to excellence. Several St. Joseph’s Hospitals Foundation board members and leadership, along with members of her team, were privileged to stand alongside Kate as she accepted her award, showing their support for her well-deserved recognition!
MISSION SPOTLIGHT
New Surgery Residency Program Coming to St. Joe’s
As part of its plan to bring more doctors to West Central Florida, BayCare will soon be launching its first surgery residency program. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) granted initial accreditation for the new 20-resident program that will welcome its first class of residents on July 1, 2024. Five BayCare hospitals will participate in the surgery residency: St. Joseph’s Hospital, St. Joseph’s Women’s Hospital, St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital, St. Joseph’s Hospital-North and St. Joseph’s Hospital-South. In addition to the Surgery Program, BayCare offers graduate medical education programs for family medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, internal medicine, primary care sports medicine and a transitional year residency program. BayCare’s Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship received initial accreditation from ACGME last month. Our not-for-profit health care system also is pursuing additional residency programs in addiction medicine, emergency medicine and additional internal medicine and transitional year programs.