State of Florida Recognizes BayCare's Leadership in Behavioral Health Services

CLEARWATER, Fla., Nov. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The State of Florida has formally recognized BayCare's ongoing commitment to addressing West Central Florida's behavioral health needs by designating St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa as the BayCare Behavioral Health Teaching Hospital at St. Joseph's. This milestone reflects BayCare's dedication to advancing behavioral health care, workforce training and innovative approaches to mental health throughout the region. 

Made possible through a strategic partnership with the Florida State University College of Medicine's Center for Behavioral Health Integration, the new teaching hospital designation positions BayCare and St. Joseph's Hospital as leaders in addressing the growing need for behavioral health services, training the next generation of mental health professionals and driving system innovation in behavioral health care. This designation is renewable every two years and is supported by competitive grant funding to further expand and innovate behavioral health services. 

"Our designation as a behavioral health teaching hospital is a recognition of all the hard work BayCare and its team members have been providing for years to meet our communities' behavioral health needs," said Stephanie Conners, president and CEO of BayCare Health System. "We know there's no health without mental health. This honor reflects our unwavering commitment to improving the health of all we serve and to building a stronger, more resilient community."

The new partnership with the Florida State University College of Medicine aligns the college's strengths in workforce training, education and research with BayCare Behavioral Health's operations, Graduate Medical Education program and research enterprises. It is the second time that BayCare and Florida State University have joined forces. Since 2018, the College of Medicine and BayCare's Winter Haven Hospital have operated a family medicine residency program to provide advanced access to primary care services in underserved areas.

"There is a dire need for behavioral health services throughout the state," said Dr. Alma Littles, dean of the Florida State University College of Medicine. "I am delighted that this partnership will not only lead to more access to these services, but it will also help us train the next generation of behavioral health care providers. This will benefit patients in the region and expand educational opportunities for medical residents sponsored by BayCare, residents in the Florida State University College of Medicine's Psychiatry Residency Program and the college's medical and physician assistant students who will have an opportunity to gain first-hand experience working alongside physicians in the community."

As the largest provider of behavioral health services in West Central Florida, BayCare has long championed access to high-quality, compassionate care for all. The system's behavioral health programs include inpatient services, outpatient therapy, residential programs, and innovative initiatives serving veterans, schools and first responders. Recent investments have included the state's first behavioral health urgent care center, the planned expansion of a Central Receiving Facility in Pasco County and increased behavioral health provider capacity that has improved access for thousands of Floridians. Since 2022, BayCare has also had a psychiatry residency program to attract, train and retain new medical school graduates to serve patients. 

BayCare's leadership in behavioral health innovation was also recently recognized by the Florida Hospital Association when it named Gail Ryder, BayCare's vice president of Behavioral Health, its 2025 Health Care Leader of the Year. The award recognized Ryder's visionary leadership and tireless behavioral health advocacy across the state.

For more information about BayCare's behavioral health programs and its mission to serve the community, visit BayCare Behavioral Health.

About BayCare

BayCare is a leading not-for-profit academic health care system that connects individuals and families to a wide range of services at 16 hospitals, including a children's hospital, and hundreds of other convenient locations throughout the Tampa Bay and central Florida regions. The system is West Central Florida's largest provider of behavioral health and pediatric services and its provider group, BayCare Medical Group, is one of the largest in the region. BayCare's diverse network of ambulatory services includes laboratories, imaging, surgical centers, BayCare Urgent Care locations, wellness centers and one of Florida's largest home care agencies, BayCare HomeCare. BayCare's mission is to improve the health of all it serves through community-owned, health care services that set the standard for high-quality, compassionate care. For more information, visit BayCare.org. 

SOURCE BayCare Health System