Turley Family Support Team
The Turley Family Support Team supports medical care of indigent and working poor patients of Family Practice Residency program and community. The team of three, including 2 case managers/therapists and 1 social worker, who is bilingual, sees nearly 14,000 referrals a year from the Family Practice Residency Program and the Greenwood Community. They manage all of our community outreach initiatives through Turley Family Health Center and represent the health system through the community coalition and numerous other peer agency groups. The team also manages the Parenting as a Medical Model pilot project, providing targeted parenting classes to the homeless, underserved and Hispanic populations.

Homeless Emergency Project Team
A Morton Plant Mease Behavioral Health team of three delivers psychiatric services to clients of Everybody's Tabernacle Homeless Emergency Shelter. The team acts as a fully integrated behavioral health screening and treatment group integrating LPN, ARNP, and Case Management, saving the health system approximately $2-$4 million a year in avoided ER and inpatient admissions. This provides on site services in daily and crisis situations.

Palliative Care Program
A partnership between Hospice and Morton Plant Hospital, which has developed a service focused on meeting the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of hospitalized patients near the end of life. This is an interdisciplinary team composed of a physician, social worker, and chaplain. The project is under the umbrella of the overall Spirituality & Healing Initiative of the health system and Foundation.

Annie Miller Scholarship
Over Annie Miller’s 43 years of exemplary service as an RN at Morton Plant Hospital, she earned the well-deserved status as a respected leader, mentor, coach, counselor and friend. Reflecting her commitment to both nursing and education, the Morton Plant Mease Foundation established the Annie Miller Nursing Scholarship Fund. This fund assists aspiring nurses with their monetary needs as they seek an education.

Mammography Voucher Program (MVP)
MVP provides educational screenings to women without proper health insurance and financial resources to access breast health services, including mammograms, ultrasounds, additional diagnostic exams, surgical consults, surgeries, and breast cancer treatment. Collaborating with community partners, the program provides education and outreach to an average of 1,600 women each year.

Cancer Patient Support Services (CaPSS)
When one member of a family has cancer, the whole family is affected. CaPSS was developed in 1991 to address the psychosocial, emotional and spiritual needs of all cancer patients, their families and friends at no cost. The counselors of CaPSS utilize a variety of educational and support services to help cancer survivors and their families deal more effectively with their emotional distress. 

ER Teddy Bear Project
Over 1,000 hand-made teddy bears are distributed each year to the children in the emergency departments at Morton Plant Mease. The overwhelming verbal feedback from our nurses indicates the bears truly make a difference and enables the child to focus on something other than the treatment.

George A. Morris, MD Earn as You Learn Nurse Program
The Earn as You Learn program was named in honor of Dr. George Morris, who has devoted his career to advocating nursing quality throughout Morton Plant Mease. This extraordinary program addresses the acute nursing shortage by providing compensation for nursing students to relieve pressures created by the need to work full-time, go to school and provide for their families. This benefits the entire community by contributing to the growth of the nursing programs at St. Petersburg College, PTEC and the University of South Florida. As of May 2007, the Earn as You Learn program will have served 545 students, including four master’s-prepared nurses, 123 RNs, 152 LPNs, 206 patient care technicians and 60 unit secretaries.

Radiologic Technologist Earn As You Learn Program
This project funds academic and practical training in the field of radiologic technology.  A Radiologic Technologist (RT) is a registered professional with an Associate of Science degree in Radiologic Technology.  The RT Earn As You Learn program allows the participant to attend school full-time and work part-time, earning a 40-hour/wk salary during their two years of schooling.  Additionally, the program allows us to offer our team members the opportunity to learn and grow as a health care professional while ensuring their tenure at Morton Plant Mease Health Care.

Clearwater Free Clinic
The volunteer-driven Clearwater Free Clinic provides problem-oriented medical care to the acute and chronically ill low-income, uninsured population living in the Clearwater, Florida area. Funding allows the Clinic to meet the growing need for additional adult and pediatric appointments, while greatly improving the overall continuity of care and scope of their services.

Houtz Fellowship
Leadership development is critical to Morton Plant Mease’s ability to best meet the needs of the patient and our community.  The Houtz Fellowship provides for an Administrative Associate to be a part of the senior management team, learning and developing into a Hospital Leadership role.  The experience provided by this partnership builds a competent leader who understands the importance of excellent patient care/satisfaction. 

Indigent Prescription Program
The program provides a valuable service to our indigent, uninsured population who don’t have regular access to needed prescription meds.  The program offers starter prescriptions for indigent patients who are not eligible for Pinellas County Health Department. This grant allows patients access to a one-time only, 10-day supply of needed medications on an annual basis.  These 10 days allow the patient to pursue other, more long-term, solutions to their medication access problem.

La Clinica Guadalupana
Several years ago, Morton Plant Mease Health Care made a commitment to provide medical personnel and care to the growing Hispanic population in our area through La Clinica Guadalupana, a not-for-profit clinic providing Spanish-speaking community members with free medical care in a setting where they are most comfortable. In addition to funding direct charity care, Morton Plant Mease Health Care provides volunteer physicians, nurses, a registered dietitian and a case manager. With the help of Morton Plant Mease, the clinic is able to deliver medical services with respect, trust and dignity to a population that has no other access to health care.

New Hire Loan Assistance Program
The New Hire Loan Assistance Program is designed to attract young nurses from all areas of the country by providing assistance in paying outstanding student loans. Each team member accepted into this program will receive $5,000, payable through Team Resources on a monthly basis. In return, the team member will agree to sign a commitment with Morton Plant Mease Health Care to continue employment for a specified length of time.

WOW Awards
The WOW awards were established in 2004 after the Morton Plant Mease Foundation received an anonymous donation to honor team members with cash awards of $2,500 in recognition of extraordinary service. This gift was given as a tribute to the donor’s physician, Dr. Harry Wilks. The program was named the Wilks Outstanding Winners, better known as the “WOW” awards. The winners of these awards are true role models and an inspiration to the entire health care team. It was the intention of the original donor to inspire others to give additional funds so this program could continue. 

Family Practice Residency Program
Morton Plant Mease Health Care, in cooperation with the University of South Florida’s College of Medicine, has developed a Family Practice Residency Program in one of the most medically challenged areas of the county. This program helps us to better meet the health care needs of our community and serve the educational needs of our physicians, as well as to develop a model for community-focused health care in the state of Florida. Headquartered at the Turley Family Health Center, the Family Practice residents provide the hands-on care and support the community needs.

Mary Elizabeth Mitchell Nurse Midwifery Program
This crucial program provides prenatal and obstetric care to the uninsured and under-insured residents of north Pinellas County. Approximately 90 percent of patients in the program have family incomes at or below the Federal Poverty Guideline. Nearly 600 babies are delivered each year at Morton Plant Mease through this program. In addition to pregnancy care, patients receive referrals to the Family Practice Residency Program for the pediatric care of their children. Without continued support from the Morton Plant Mease Foundation, our hospitals could not provide these vital services to the most vulnerable in our community.

Pastoral Care Services
The Bereavement Follow-up Program is a comprehensive program for families who lose a loved one while under our care. There is a great need for ongoing support and encouragement for family members as they progress through the stages of grief. This program is an extension of service, reaching beyond medical care to offer comfort and understanding. The family member or significant other listed in the hospital database will receive a series of cards for one year following the death of their loved one. Team members who lose a loved one will receive the same materials. Each card sent will provide the family member with the phone number of the Pastoral Care Department in order for bereaved individuals to obtain more information on grief support.