Tampa General Hospital Supports Florida Senate to Safely Conduct Business As 2021 Legislative Session Approaches

TGH Prevention Response Outreach will provide infection prevention expertise to guide a safe legislative session.  

Tampa, FL (October 6, 2020) – The Florida Senate today announced a partnership with Tampa General Hospital (TGH) to support the Senate in developing a plan to safely conduct business in the Florida Senate. The TGH Prevention Response Outreach team, known as TPRO, will provide advice on how to safely conduct business with effective strategies in place to prevent the spread of disease, including COVID-19. The TPRO team consists of the state’s top infection prevention experts, including leaders of the TGH Infection Prevent Team, Infection Disease physicians from the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and TGH’s private practice physicians who specialize in infectious disease.

“We’re dedicated to safeguarding the health and well-being of the citizens of Florida, and that includes creating a safe environment for our elected officials to work,” said John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General Hospital. “It’s a real honor to collaborate with the Florida Senate so that we can lend the expertise of Tampa General Hospital and USF Health Morsani College of Medicine to support the staff in developing a plan to safely conduct business during committee hearings and the upcoming legislative session. I know our elected officials have work to do, and with the Tampa General and USF Health strategies in place, they can safely focus on the policies that affect our state.”

The announcement came in a memo issued today from Florida Senate President-Designate Wilton Simpson to all Senators and Senate professional staff.

“The goal of this new collaboration with TGH is to give Senators, staff, and visitors the confidence that safety measures are fully considered and implemented as we move into the legislative activities ahead of us,” said Senate President-designate Simpson. “They will help us develop educational information for Senators and staff on practical, actionable infection prevention steps.”

The TPRO team begins in Tallahassee this week conducting an evaluation of all Senate areas, including the Senate Chamber, public committee rooms, and Senator and staff offices. TPRO will work with Senate professional staff to help develop educational information and outline practical, actionable infection prevention steps.

Additionally, the TPRO team is committed to support the Senate on an ongoing basis, recognizing that circumstances may change prior to the 2021 legislative session, and additional intervention strategies and guidance may be necessary.

TPRO was launched by TGH in May to support organizations that want to safeguard their employees and visitors as they re-open to the public. TPRO enables businesses, attractions and other organizations to benefit from the advice of some of Florida’s top infection prevention experts.

TGH is consulting with many other organizations in Tampa Bay and throughout Florida, including the Florida Aquarium, The Straz Center for the Performing Arts, The Tampa Bay Lightning and TECO to advise them on how they can put safety precautions in place in their own workplaces, as well as providing ongoing education in order to prevent the transmission and spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.

Tampa General Hospital’s experts are available to consult with businesses and other organizations on their infection prevention plans for a safe re-opening – whether in Tampa Bay, elsewhere in Florida, or beyond. Businesses can learn more by filling out an online form at https://www.tgh.org/tpro or calling the new TPRO phone number: (813) 660-TPRO.

ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL
Tampa General Hospital, a 1006-bed non-profit academic medical center, is one of the largest hospitals in America and delivers world-class care as the region’s only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care. It is one of the nation’s busiest adult solid organ transplant centers and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With five medical helicopters, Tampa General Hospital transports critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care they need. Tampa General houses a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center and its 32-bed Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It also is home to the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed Level IV neonatal intensive care unit, and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General Hospital’s footprint includes 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, TGH Brandon Healthplex, TGH Virtual Health and 18 outpatient Radiology Centers. Tampa Bay residents also receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track network of clinics, and they can even receive home visits in select areas through TGH Urgent Care at Home, powered by Fast Track.  As one of the largest hospitals in Florida, Tampa General Hospital is first in the state to partner with GE Healthcare and open a clinical command center that uses artificial intelligence and predictive analytics to improve and better coordinate patient care at a lower cost.  For more information, go to www.tgh.org.