Housing Authority to get heart devices through partnership
ST. PETERSBURG — The St. Petersburg Housing Authority has partnered with the American Heart Association and Lifework to bring Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) to SPHA communities throughout St. Petersburg.
Through the collaboration, SPHA will receive seven AED units, seven wall-mounted cabinets, seven sets of infant AED pads, in addition to the adult pads included with each unit, training for up to 20 SPHA employees, and two years of maintenance support. The AEDs will be strategically placed throughout several SPHA communities to improve emergency preparedness and help protect residents, visitors, and staff.
The initiative was made possible through the leadership of Courtney Burt, vice president of community impact for the American Heart Association in Tampa Bay. Burt will also assist SPHA with developing a cardiac emergency response policy and coordinating free CPR education opportunities for both staff and residents.
Lifework, a national provider of CPR, First Aid, Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS), and advanced healthcare certification training, will provide instruction for SPHA employees.
Times, foundation to host experts on climate change effects
ST. PETERSBURG — The Tampa Bay Times, in partnership with the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg, will host a free community conversation on climate change’s effects on the bay area during the upcoming Spotlight Tampa Bay event, “Rising Seas, Shifting Neighborhoods: Climate Change’s Impact on Tampa Bay Housing.” The forum will take place at 5 p.m. on Thursday, July 16, at the Palladium, 253 Fifth Ave. N., St. Petersburg.
From 5-6 p.m., explore the community resource center featuring booths from local organizations. At 6 p.m., local experts and community leaders will participate in a panel discussion on how climate change is affecting Tampa Bay. Few factors threaten to impact the makeup of Tampa Bay neighborhoods more than climate change. Whether it be fiercer hurricanes or more frequent sunny day flooding, climate change will force Tampa Bay residents to reckon with the fact that their homes may sit in perilous places. Will this prompt people to abandon once-desirable neighborhoods that now are under threat? And how will this reshape the socioeconomic makeup of communities? In this free community conversation, we’ll examine how climate change is already reshaping Tampa Bay neighborhoods and how it could make them look drastically different from today.
“When wind and water intrude into our homes, they affect more than just structures. The damage uproots families and upends our shared sense of place,” said Conan Gallaty, Times CEO and chairman. “This is an important conversation about resilience in what connects us to our neighbors.”
The conversation, moderated by Jack Prator, environment reporter at the Tampa Bay Times, will feature Mack Feldman, vice president of asset management at Feldman Equities; Sam Henderson, adjunct professor of natural sciences at St. Petersburg College; Amber Woods, Youth Chair of Florida Rising Pinellas County; Rep. Lindsay Cross, representative of District 60 in the Florida House; and Claude Tankersley, public works administrator for the city of St. Petersburg.
“From rising tides to rising prices, as we consider how climate change is altering our city, it’s critical that we pay particular attention to our most vulnerable neighbors and residents,” said Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg President and CEO Dr. Kanika Tomalin. “While climate shifts can be harrowing for even the most well-resourced among us, they can be trajectory-changing for community members living closer to the margins. This impacts all of us.”
Doors open at 5 p.m. The resource center will be held from 5-6 p.m. The panel discussion, which will include questions from the audience, will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. Attendees should register at tampabay.com/spotlight. Admission and parking are free. For more information about the Spotlight Tampa Bay community conversation series, email mwhiteley@tampabay.com.
St. Pete: Residents can get sandbags year-round
ST. PETERSBURG — The city of St. Petersburg reminds residents that sandbags are available on the second Saturday of the month at the year-round sandbag distribution location at the Pavement and Traffic Operations Building, 1744 Ninth Ave. N.
Regular sandbag distribution location hours are Monday through Friday and the second Saturday of the month from 7 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Each household can receive a maximum of 10 sandbags and residents must provide proof of residence. Staff will be on hand to answer sandbag-related questions and to assist seniors and others who may be unable to fill and load their own sandbags.
Author to showcase Revolutionary War books among glass art
ST. PETERSBURG — Local author Louise Harris will appear at two locations in the Tampa Bay area promoting her 1776 series of books this month.
While her series is set in modern day, each book is tied to the Revolutionary War in some way. The first event takes place at the Imagine Museum on July 24 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. The museum, located at 1901 Central Ave., has a “Let Freedom Ring” exhibit to celebrate the national milestone. Harris will have her books on sale in the museum as part of its night market program.
On July 25 from 1-3 p.m., Harris will sign “The 1776 Soldier” at Barnes & Noble, 23654 U.S. Hwy. 19 N, Clearwater. Many other authors will be present.
The 1776 Series of books are available for purchase through Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/author/louiseharris. Harris currently is working on book No. 5 in The 1776 Series, and will be about the 250th anniversary celebration.
Gopher Tortoise research returns to Egmont Key for second summer
ST. PETERSBURG — The Gopher Tortoise Summer Intern Program has returned to Egmont Key for the second consecutive summer, thanks to a partnership between the Egmont Key Alliance, Eckerd College’s Goessling Lab and Hubbard’s Marina.
The six-week program, running through Aug. 14, places two Eckerd College students on Egmont Key to conduct hands-on field research supporting the long-term monitoring and protection of the island’s gopher tortoise population.
The program is made possible through the combined support of the three organizations.
Egmont Key Alliance is funding two student interns at $1,500 each, for a total sponsorship of $3,000.
Hubbard’s Ferry is donating daily round-trip ferry transportation for both interns for the full six weeks, covering 30 days of service for up to three passengers — a donation valued at $3,600. Ferries depart for Egmont Key daily for the duration of the program.
Eckerd College’s Goessling Lab is providing field research training, scientific oversight, and supervision of the student interns throughout the internship.
Egmont Key, located at the mouth of Tampa Bay, is home to a significant population of gopher tortoises, a species listed as threatened in Florida. The internship program builds a growing dataset that informs conservation strategy for the species and its habitat on the island.
Burish named CEO at HCA Northside
ST. PETERSBURG — Brent Burish has been named chief executive officer of HCA Florida Northside Hospital. Most recently, he served as CEO of HCA Florida Pasadena Hospital and HCA Florida St. Petersburg Hospital,
Burish brings more than 20 years of healthcare leadership experience to his new role. Before joining HCA Florida Pasadena Hospital in 2022, Burish served as chief operating officer at HCA Florida Fawcett Hospital. He also previously served as president and CEO of Orlando Health St. Cloud Hospital.