TAMPA, Fla., Oct. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ --BayCare Health System has partnered with the federal government to establish the first Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) in the state after two recent hurricanes. The DMAT will increase West Central Florida's access to emergency care after the region was devastated by massive storms. 

On Friday, a DMAT tent village sprung up in a parking lot just north of BayCare's St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa, which has a trauma center, including a pediatric trauma center. Hurricane Milton had exited West Central Florida the day before; Hurricane Helene, eight days before. The DMAT was to open at 7 p.m. Friday and will run around the clock in partnership with the hospital, which will support this site with laboratory and additional services as needed. 

DMATs often work in tandem with hospitals to expand capacity for emergency care. DMAT is part of the federal government's Administration for Strategic Preparedness & Response (ASPR), which is under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). 

"We know that health care needs always escalate after a natural disaster," said BayCare President and CEO Stephanie Conners. "With our region enduring two back-to-back hurricanes that caused extraordinary havoc, we know our communities need BayCare to be there for them and we appreciate partners working with us." 

Patients arriving at the DMAT site, 4600 N. Habana Ave., will be triaged with lower acuity needs being cared for onsite while any higher acuity cases, including any trauma cases, would be handled by St. Joseph's Hospital's Emergency Department and Trauma Center. Two other BayCare hospitals are also nearby to help serve patients, St. Joseph's Children's and St. Joseph's Women's. The not-for-profit BayCare, with 16 hospitals stretching across four counties and hundreds of other physician offices and outpatient locations, is the region's largest health care provider. 

Earlier this week, BayCare also made two other locations available to assist state relief efforts: A former Barnes and Noble store in Tampa's Carrollwood area and a shuttered Plant City hospital that was replaced by a new South Florida Baptist Hospital facility in August. 

About BayCare

BayCare is a leading not-for-profit health care system that connects individuals and families to a wide range of services at 16 hospitals and hundreds of other convenient locations throughout the Tampa Bay and central Florida regions. The system is West Central Florida's largest provider of behavioral health and pediatric services and its provider group, BayCare Medical Group, is one of the largest in the region. BayCare's diverse network of ambulatory services includes laboratories, imaging, surgical centers, BayCare Urgent Care locations, wellness centers and one of Florida's largest home care agencies, BayCare HomeCare. BayCare's mission is to improve the health of all it serves through community-owned, health care services that set the standard for high-quality, compassionate care. For more information visit BayCare.org.

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SOURCE BayCare Health System