Catalyze 2023: John Moore, Bayfront Health St. Petersburg

We’re asking thought leaders, business people and creatives to talk about 2023 and give us catalyzing ideas for making St. Pete a better place to live. What should our city look like? What are their hopes, their plans, their problem-solving ideas? This is Catalyze 2023.

In 2020, Orlando Health took over St. Petersburg’s Bayfront hospital – which was struggling with multiple issues – and has since turned it into an asset for the community that continues to grow. 

“When I came here in 2020, one thing was clear to me – I was welcomed. There’s a deep sense of community here with people who want good things for the city, whether that be new companies that are a right fit or wanting to help each other out,” said John Moore, president of Bayfront Health St. Petersburg and senior vice president of Orlando Health West Region. 

He gave examples of how the hospital’s partnerships are helping confront the shortage of qualified health care professionals, especially registered nurses, which was only heightened by the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Moore is working with the University of South Florida College of Nursing Dean Usha Menon on expanding the college’s nursing program and is also collaborating with Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. 

“We can only move forward by getting creative and partnering with others to address challenges. USF has the talent and funding for medical equipment, and All Children’s has the access to lab space and the simulation center needed for training,” Moore said. 

Bayfront is also working closely with St. Pete College, CareerSource and Pinellas County Schools on building a talent pipeline. 

On speaking about access points, Moore said the hospital system plans to open new physician offices and freestanding emergency departments and is also working towards launching a mobile clinic. 

Bayfront most recently announced it was creating an institutional hub of specialties with the first being a new cancer and orthopaedic center called the Bayfront Health Medical Pavilion. It will be a technologically advanced facility made possible through partnerships with the Florida Cancer Specialists and Research Institute, All Florida Orthopaedic Associates and Women’s Care.

Bayfront is also partnering with Women’s Care, a top ob-gyn provider, to provide services for the new 60,000-square-foot facility, which will be built at 700 6th St. South on the east side of the hospital’s campus.

Moore said Bayfront has a vested interest in expanding its reach beyond the campus and medical pavilions. 

He has engaged with some of the development teams vying to redevelop the 86-acre Tropicana Field/Gas Plant District. 

“It’s very exciting to see the possibilities for that property, it’s right on our doorstep and we want to be connected to it,” Moore said.