Bayfront Health gets a new leadership team

Orlando Health plans to close on the purchase of Bayfront Health St. Petersburg Sept. 30, and put a new leadership team in place the next day.

John Moore

Effective Oct. 1, John Moore will be president of Bayfront Health St. Petersburg and senior vice president of Orlando Health’s West Division. LaTasha Barnes will be the hospital’s new chief financial officer and Omar Gonzalez will be corporate director for IT and clinical engineering.

The new leaders bring years of not-for-profit healthcare administration experience to Bayfront, the largest hospital in St. Petersburg with 480 beds and a tradition of serving the poor.

Community Health Systems (NYSE: CYH), a Franklin, Tennessee-based for-profit hospital chain, agreed to sell Bayfront to Orlando Health in June, and the St. Petersburg City Council backed the sale in July, when the City Council approved a 50-year lease for the city-owned land on which the hospital is located. The purchase price has not been disclosed.

“Bayfront Health St. Petersburg is in very good hands with John, LaTasha and Omar and we’re thrilled to have them there,” David Strong, president and CEO of Orlando Health, said in a news release. “Their experience and leadership will be invaluable as the hospital enters a new era focused on delivering the highest quality care for the community of St. Petersburg.”

LaTasha Barnes

Moore has served as president of Orlando Health South Lake Hospital since 2011. Under his leadership, the hospital completed expansion activities that equated to more than 10,000 new patients being served annually. The hospital also has received “A” grades for quality of care from the Leapfrog Group over the last four grading periods.

Moore also was part of the leadership team that developed the Orlando Health National Training Center, which provides local athletes the opportunity to train alongside medal-winning Olympic athletes. Additionally, he helped established the Healthcare Collegiate Academy to prepare students from public and private high schools for healthcare careers, beginning in ninth grade. The program allows high school students to graduate with an associate degree and earn automatic acceptance into the University of Central Florida to further their education.

Barnes has been with Orlando Health since 2018, and is currently the chief financial officer for Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies. She has played a leading role in financial, operational, and strategic initiatives for the organization and has more than 20 years of experience in healthcare finance.

Omar Gonzalez

Gonzalez joined Orlando Health last year and is currently senior manager, IT services operations. In his new role as corporate director, Omar will work with Bayfront Health St. Petersburg leadership and the Orlando Health team to ensure a smooth transition of IT systems.

Orlando Health is a not-for-profit healthcare organization with $6.2 billion of assets under management. The system spans nine Florida counties with 13 wholly-owned hospitals and emergency departments, and hundreds of other healthcare facilities.