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November's Charity of the Month:

St. Joseph's Hospitals Foundation

Johnny R. Adcock holding his granddaughter Anna Faith (left) during a return visit  to St. Joseph’s Hospital neonatal intensive care unit to see the MDRT Foundation funded incubator— when Anna Faith was born she spent some time in this NICU due to breathing problems.

The babies who spend time in St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital’s neonatal unit in Tampa, Florida, often weigh less than two pounds when they are born. They are fragile and vulnerable to health complications. But enclosed in the warm and healing cocoon of a neonatal incubator, precious lives are given the chance to metamorphose into healthy miracles of life.

Recently the MDRT Foundation awarded a $2,500 Quality of Life Grant to St. Joseph’s Hospitals Foundation on behalf of the volunteerism of Johnny R. Adcock, CLU, a 39-year MDRT member and Silver Knight from Tampa, Florida. This grant will be used to help fund the cost of a new neonatal transport incubator, which will serve critically ill infants throughout Central Florida.

St. Joseph’s Children Hospital is a regional provider of care for critically ill babies, and cares for an average of 800 babies each year. Babies treated in the NICU include: pre-term babies (born at 23 weeks gestation); babies born with an infection; and babies born with spina bifida, heart and bowel problems.

Adcock has volunteered for St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital since 2004, when he was elected Trustee of the St. Joseph’s Hospitals Foundation. In this role, Adcock is committed to creating awareness and raising funds for hospital services.

“Adcock is intimately involved and familiar with the needs to preserve the tradition of excellent, advanced and compassionate care at St. Joseph’s Hospital,” explained Deborah A. Kotch, CFRE, president and CEO of St. Joseph’s Hospitals Foundation.  “It is with ongoing volunteer and financial support that such advanced pediatric services are available in our community.”

St. Joseph’s Children Hospital’s NICU is a Level III medical unit, which means it has the ability to care for the most complex and severely ill babies.  Each year, the neonatal transport team travels by ambulance or helicopter to pick up critically ill babies from hospitals throughout Central Florida.  The new Voyager Transporter/Incubator unit will be used to safely transport more than 300 tiny patients each year.

St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital of Tampa is the first acute medical and surgical facility in this region that is dedicated to the care and health of children. A team of certified nurses and in-house board certified neonatologists provide family-centered care to critically ill infants in the 48-bed Level II and Level III NICU.