Bayfront Health St. Petersburg Partners with St. Petersburg College, Expanding Preferred Education Program

St. Petersburg, FL – (November 10, 2021) – Bayfront Health St. Petersburg is proud to announce a new education partnership that will support team members. Orlando Health, parent organization of Bayfront Health St. Petersburg, has expanded its Preferred Education Program to now include St. Petersburg College. Through this program, Bayfront Health St. Petersburg team members will be able to pursue an associate degree, bachelor’s degree, or certificate at St. Petersburg College for free. The Preferred Education Program is available to employees, both part-time and full-time, system-wide, and is administered by Bright Horizons EdAssist Solutions.

“Our team members are our number one priority, and we are excited to partner with St. Petersburg College to offer them access to high-quality higher education,” said John Moore, president of Bayfront Health St. Petersburg. “We all know how much our team members do to provide care for our community. This partnership is just one small way for us to show how much we care for our team members and their future.”

St. Petersburg College offers a range of accredited medical education programs in specialties including health services administration, nursing, radiography, respiratory care, and prosthetics technology. With thirteen locations in Pinellas County, St. Petersburg College programs will be accessible to the entire Bayfront Health St. Petersburg team.

Bayfront Health St. Petersburg team members will be able to register immediately and begin taking courses for the acelerated Winter Session on December 13, and the Spring Term on January 10. Team members will also have access to one-on-one support from Bright Horizons EdAssist Solutions academic coaches, as well as the college’s student affairs and advising staff, who will help guide them along their academic journey.

“We are so proud to join forces with Bayfront Health St. Petersburg to expand access and remove barriers to education for their employees as a Preferred Education Partner.” St. Petersburg College President Dr. Tonjua Williams said. “This partnership aligns perfectly with the college’s mission to provide economic mobility for our students, many of whom are working adults looking to transform their lives and advance in their careers.”

Orlando Health first launched the Preferred Education Program in December 2020 in partnership with Valencia College in the Orlando area. The program has since expanded to include Seminole State College and Lake Sumter State College, making it easy for team members to balance career, personal life, and learning at their own pace regardless of where they live.

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.

About St Petersburg College

St. Petersburg College (SPC) alumni rank first in the state of Florida for possessing the most valuable job skills. Founded in 1927, SPC is Florida's first two-year college. Regionally accredited and nationally recognized, SPC was the first community college in Florida to offer bachelor’s degrees. SPC offers more than 100 degree and certificate programs, including many high-demand, high-skill industry-recognized workforce certifications. The college’s career-focused curriculum is created with input from industry experts to give students real-world skills needed to meet the needs of today’s employers.