Bayfront Health St. Petersburg Joins With City to Fight Skin Cancer
New Free Sunscreen Dispensers Unveiled
St. Petersburg, FL – (August 26, 2021) – Today St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman, Bayfront Health St. Petersburg Chief Financial Officer LaTasha Barnes and Andy Gardiner, sr. vice president, external affairs for Orlando Health announced a new initiative to help protect visitors to the St. Pete Pier from the dangerous effects of too much sun. The officials unveiled the first free permanent sunscreen dispensers, sponsored by Bayfront Health St. Petersburg. The sunscreen dispensers are located at four points on the St. Pete Pier – on the fishing deck, near the restrooms adjacent to the Discovery Center, across from the Spa Beach Bistro and near the stairs leading to Spa Beach, which is where the unveiling occurred.
“We are so thankful for Bayfront Health St. Petersburg’s support of our sunscreen initiative,” said Mayor Kriseman. “These dispensers represent our continued commitment to enhance the Pier for the safety and enjoyment of residents and visitors.”
“We are excited to be a part of this initiative, to support the city and to work to increase health and wellbeing in St. Pete,” said LaTasha Barnes, CFO, Bayfront Health St. Petersburg. “A simple step everyone can take to prevent harm from too much sunshine begins with applying sunscreen. Our goal is to raise awareness about the importance of using sunscreen and to make sure everyone has access to a quality sunscreen when visiting the Pier.”
Each dispenser contains one-and-a-half gallons of an unscented SPF 30 sunscreen lotion that is reef-safe and oxybenzone & PABA free. It is made in the USA and meets FDA standards for broad spectrum sunscreen.
According to the National Cancer Institute, too much UV exposure can cause skin damage and is closely linked to melanoma and other dangerous skin cancers. Florida consistently ranks among the 10 highest risk states for exposure to Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun. Pinellas County has one of the highest melanoma rates in Florida at 30.7, which is higher than the overall statewide rate of 24.8.
Bayfront Health St. Petersburg hopes to use the popularity of the Pier to engage large numbers of residents and visitors with its public health and safety message. Since re-opening last year, the Pier has become the centerpiece of the city’s 26-acre waterfront entertainment district, drawing
thousands of visitors to its outdoor venues. In January the Pier was named one of top new attractions in the United States by readers of USA Today.
About Bayfront Health St. Petersburg
The 480-bed Bayfront Health St. Petersburg was founded in 1910. It was acquired October 1, 2020 by Orlando Health, a not-for-profit healthcare organization with $7.1 billion of assets under management. The hospital’s areas of clinical excellence include heart and vascular, surgical services, rehabilitation services, neurosciences, maternity care and – as home to the only state-accredited Level Two Adult Trauma Center in Pinellas County – emergency services and trauma care.
Bayfront Health St. Petersburg is integral to the 3,200-bed Orlando Health system which serves the southeastern United States through 15 wholly-owned hospitals and emergency departments; rehabilitation services, cancer and heart institutes, imaging and laboratory services, wound care centers, physician offices for adults and pediatrics, skilled nursing facilities, an in-patient behavioral health facility, home healthcare services in partnership with LHC Group, and urgent care centers in partnership with CareSpot Urgent Care. Nearly 4,200 physicians, representing more than 80 medical specialties and subspecialties have privileges across the system, which employs nearly 22,000 team members.
As a statutory teaching healthcare organization, Orlando Health hosts more than 325 residents and fellows including more than 40 who are enrolled at Bayfront Health St. Petersburg’s OB/GYN, Family Medicine, Sports Medicine and Pharmacy programs.
In FY20, Orlando Health served nearly 150,000 inpatients and nearly 3.1 million outpatients. During that same time period, the organization provided approximately $760 million in total value to the communities it serves in the form of charity care, community benefit programs and services, community building activities and more. Additional information can be found at https://www.bayfrontstpete.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
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