Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point recently held a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony for its new Graduate Medical Education Center located at 14108 Glacial Drive, Hudson, Florida 34667 on the campus of RMCBP. The ribbon cutting ceremony included a brief address by CEO Shayne George followed by a Ribbon cutting by Shayne George, Rao Musunuru, MD, Board of Trustees member, and Joseph Pino, MD, Chief Medical Officer of RMCBP. A white coat ceremony of the first class of the American Osteopathic Association Internal Medicine Residency Program was presided over by Michael Strobbe, DO, AOA Internal Medicine Program Director. In August of 2013 Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point announced that it had been approved by the AOA for an internal medicine residency program. This is the hospital’s first step in developing graduate medical education residency programs in a logical progression as Bayonet Point continues to expand its tertiary and specialty programs.

In addressing the local community leaders, county commissioners, local and state representatives, members of the Board of Trustees of the hospital as well as the physician faculty and the hospital staff and other members of the community, Mr. Shayne George stated, “Developing a Graduate Medical Education Program is not an easy task or one to be taken lightly. It is extremely challenging and requires long-term commitment and dedication to the rewarding honor and privilege to train future physicians. As you can imagine, there are meticulous governing structures, policies and procedures, training curriculums, faculty designations and training, and significant investments that are made in the facility such as this center where we are today.”

The Graduate Medical Education students included Second year resident Katie Groff, DO, Lake Erie College of Medicine and First year residents: Camille Alfonso, DO, Lake Erie College of Medicine; Jonathan Lind, DO, Rocky Vista University College of Medicine; David Otis, DO, Western University College of Medicine, Giles Roberts, DO, Edward Via VA College of Medicine; James Shepard, DO, Philadelphia College of Medicine and Woody Taves, DO, Lake Erie College of Medicine

Attached photo: Members of the first residency class pose for an official photo. Left to right: Woody Taves, DO, James Shepard, DO, Giles Roberts, DO, David Otis, DO, Jonathan Lind, DO, second year resident Katie Groff, DO, Camille Alfonso, DO, Michael Strobbe, DO, AOA Internal Medicine Program Director, Joseph Pino, MD, Chief Medical Office of RMCBP and Shayne George, CEO.

About Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point

Regional Medical Center Bayonet has been serving the community since 1981. We are a 290-bed acute care hospital located in Hudson, FL and home of the nationally acclaimed Heart Institute. We have more than 350 physicians, 1,264 employees and 500 volunteers on our integrated healthcare delivery team.

Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point has achieved distinction in the following areas:

· Level II Trauma Center

· 2011 and 2012 Top Performing Hospital for Key Quality Measures for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, and surgical care – The Joint Commission

· Certified Advance Primary Stroke Center – Joint Commission

· Heart & Stroke Champions Award Winner 1998 – 2011

· MRI, CT, Ultrasound, and Nuclear Medicine Accredited – American College of Radiology

· Approved, with Commendation, Community Cancer Program – American College of Surgeons.

· 10 Joint Commission Disease-Specific Certifications: primary stroke center, acute myocardial infarction, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), coronary artery bypass graft, heart failure, joint replacement hip, joint replacement knee, lung cancer, pneumonia, wound care!

· Awarded Hospital Safety Score of “A” in four consecutive rankings by The Leapfrog Group.

· Recipient of the 2014 American Heart Association (AHA)/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines® Gold Performance Achievement Award in stroke.

Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point is located at 14000 Fivay Road, Hudson, FL. 34667. For additional information on Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point visit www.rmchealth.com or www.heartoftampa.comor visit us on Facebook.