Baptist Medical Center Nassau

05/14/2026

We were to cut the ribbon on the new hyperbaric medicine chamber at our Wound Care Center! ✂️ 🎗️

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been shown to support the healing process by delivering high concentrations of oxygen to the bloodstream in a pressurized environment. This outpatient service involves the patient entering an enclosed chamber and breathing 100% oxygen at greater than atmospheric pressure for a specific period of time. This non-invasive treatment delivers more oxygen to the wounded tissue and stimulates new vascular growth.

Scheduling an appointment is easy and can be accomplished online and over the phone! 💙

📱 Schedule by phone: (904) 321-3610
💻 Schedule online: go.baptistjax.com/4nr8xLy

05/12/2026

We celebrated in many different ways last week but the biggest hit of them all had to be our Puppy Parade! 🐾

Let's give a big round of a'paws to our Pet Therapy team and these glorious pups for bringing giant smiles to the faces of our nurses and our patients! 😃

05/11/2026

Please join us in congratulating William "Berry" Ivey, PharmD, MHA, on his new role as Assistant Administrator of Operations at Baptist Medical Center Nassau.

With more than 13 years of health care leadership experience, Berry has played an important role in advancing pharmacy and clinical operations at , most recently serving as Director of Pharmacy. His leadership on key hospital initiatives, commitment to operational excellence and focus on patient-centered care make him a strong addition to this role. 💪

We're excited to see the continued impact Berry will have supporting our teams, patients and the Jacksonville community.

Congratulations, Berry! 🎉 👏

05/08/2026

We don’t do things halfway at , so you know we had to go all out for the Shrimp Festival Parade! 🍤

The theme of the parade was "Stars & Shrimps Forever” in honor of America’s 250th birthday, and our team worked hard to build a float that lived up to that lofty idea. It was a wonderful collaboration made even better by seeing all the smiles from people in the community as we rode past! 🇺🇸 💙

Our hospital president, Tara Beth Anderson, was even featured on the cover of the News-Leader — and fully embraced her role as the Statue of Liberty. 🗽

05/07/2026

We'll be hosting the first of five Community Conversations on Stigma, Mental Health and Substance Use workshops at on Monday, May 11th, from 9 AM - noon.

This is not an academic workshop about stigma. It is a conversation for participants to explore stigma, how we support people with substance use disorder (SUD) and their families, and how we work together in our communities to reduce stigma.

RSVP for a morning of important conversation here: https://go.baptistjax.com/3QYYiSB

05/06/2026

We are to have received our 17th consecutive “A” grade for safety from The Leapfrog Group. The “A” rating places the hospital among the top hospitals nationwide! 🏥 🏆

“Patient safety guides every decision we make and every action we take,” says Tara Beth Anderson, FACHE, MSN, RN, NE-BC, hospital president of Baptist Nassau. “Through teamwork and continuous learning, we are reinforcing practices that safeguard our patients and the team members who care for them.”

The score takes into consideration:
🏥 Process measures (how a hospital gives patients a recommended treatment, including the responsiveness of hospital staff)
🏥 Structural measures (the environment where patients receive care)
🏥 Outcome measures (what happens to a patient while receiving care)

“Every patient deserves safe, high-quality care,” says Jeremy Goodman, MD, MBA, FACHE, senior vice president and system quality officer at Baptist Health. “We remain focused on continuously improving and strengthening safety across every step of the patient journey.”

Congratulations to every single person on our team who helped make this happen! 💙

05/06/2026

We are that our team at Baptist Health Jacksonville was the first in the country to take part in the groundbreaking REMIND Alzheimer's study!
Our health system’s participation in this first-of-its-kind surgical trial reflects our commitment to research and innovation, especially for the Northeast Florida community.

We are to be the first health system in the country to take part in the groundbreaking REMIND Alzheimer's study!

The health system’s participation in the first-of-its-kind surgical trial reflects its commitment to research and innovation.

This is the first study to use a robotic-enabled microsurgical system to treat Alzheimer’s. The surgical platform received approval for soft tissue manipulation to perform microsurgery from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2024. The study received FDA approval under an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) in late 2025.

“This robotic surgical procedure may reshape the way we approach neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s,” said neurosurgeon Ricardo Hanel, MD, PhD, the co-medical director of the Baptist Stroke & Cerebrovascular Center and principal investigator of the study at Baptist Health. “It’s exciting to be part of this landmark study and potentially offer hope to patients and families living with this condition.”

An estimated 7.2 million Americans aged 65 and older, or around 1 in 9, have Alzheimer’s disease. It is the most common form of dementia, affecting memory, thinking and behavior. Florida has one of the highest rates in the country, with 12.5% of its residents in the 65 and older age bracket living with the neurological condition.

“We’ve seen the impact this innovative technology can have in breast reconstructive and lymphatic surgery, and I’m proud to be involved in pioneering its use in a whole new area, which could open the door to more possibilities for patients with Alzheimer’s disease,” said Michael DeFazio, MD, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon with Florida Plastic Surgery Group who performed the procedure with Dr. Hanel at Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville.

Read more about this groundbreaking study in the comments below. 🧠

05/05/2026

Nurses Week is the one week a year we get to say out loud what our patients already know: that our nurses are something special! 💙 Today, we're shining the spotlight on Elizabeth, a Recovery Services nurse at .

Q: Why did you decide to become a nurse?
A: I grew up in a family rooted in health care. My mother is a critical care nurse, and my father was a firefighter, so empathy and compassion were instilled in me from a young age. When the opportunity to attend nursing school came along, I knew it was the right path for me and the only career that truly felt meaningful.

Q: What has your career journey at Baptist been like?
A: After starting my career at another hospital during the height of COVID, transitioning to Baptist felt like walking into a long-lost family. The support, teamwork and sense of belonging here have made a significant impact on my professional growth.

Baptist Health truly embodies teamwork and collaboration. I always feel supported by my colleagues and leadership, which allows me to do my job to the best of my ability and provide the highest level of care to my patients.

Q: Can you recall a specific patient or team interaction that made you proud to be in the nursing field?
A: One moment that stands out is when our team came together to support a patient and their family during an especially difficult time. Being able to provide not only clinical care but also emotional support and seeing the comfort it brought reminded me why I chose this profession. It made me proud to be part of a team that truly puts patients first.

Q: What would you tell someone who is considering entering the nursing field?
A: Nursing is an incredibly rewarding profession. You meet people during some of the most challenging moments of their lives and have the opportunity to help them cope and heal. It’s a career that requires strength and compassion, but it also gives you a deep sense of purpose.

Q: If you weren’t a nurse, what would you do for a living?
A: In high school, I thought I might become a beautician or a teacher. Looking back, I realize my heart was always meant for nursing. It’s challenging, but I love the impact I can make supporting patients in such a meaningful way.

05/04/2026

The Force was strong on our campus this morning as members of the 501st Legion surprised our team by dressing as Star Wars characters for . It was a great way to start both the morning and , and our assistant administrator of patient care services, Matt Sheehan, felt compelled to write the following poem in honor of our amazing nurses!

In a galaxy not so far away, nurses are the true Jedi of health care.
With stethoscopes instead of lightsabers, they fight the dark side of illness daily.
Their compassion is strong with the Force, bringing comfort in the toughest moments.
They chart, care, and heal at lightspeed—no hyperdrive needed.
When things get critical, they stay calm like true masters of the Force.
Patients may feel lost in space, but nurses guide them back to hope.
They balance skill and heart better than any Jedi Council ever could.
Long shifts? Just another mission for these fearless Rebels.
Saving lives isn’t a quest—it’s their destiny.
The Force is strong with nurses… and we’re lucky to have them.

Happy Nurses Week!

05/01/2026

If you've ever purchased a present for a patient from our Marketplace Gift Shop then the odds are good you've met the smiling face of one of our amazing volunteers, Ms. Sharon! 🎁

In addition to making sure the gift shop is fully stocked with things that will bring joy to our patients, Ms. Sharon also goes the extra mile to decorate our facility to keep things lighthearted.

“My favorite part of volunteering is making people healthy. Whether it’s creating a colorful environment for teams to take a quick break or assisting residents in finding apparel and gifts. The cherry on top is knowing the profits we earn fund Auxiliary scholarships and projects that improve the hospital experience for patients and volunteers."

Sharon has been selflessly serving as a volunteer for over ten years, and even though April was , we believe she should be celebrated year-round, along with all of our other amazing volunteers. We had the chance to host a luncheon for them last week to say thank you — but the truth is, words don’t quite capture how grateful we are for the impact they’ve made.

Please join us in saying thank you to Ms. Sharon and all of our volunteers for everything they do! 🎉

04/29/2026

We're that we were able to team up with United Way of Northeast Florida to create and distribute Caring Kits to the Barnabas Center, a local organization that combats food insecurity in our community. Our team really rallied to put together snack packs and included messages of encouragement to everyone receiving a kit, so that they know they are in our hearts! 💙