With today’s opening, the USF Health College of Nursing Port of Tampa Seafarers Center Clinic made history, as Tampa became the first port in the world to establish a nurse-managed clinic.
The USF Health College of Nursing and Port Tampa Bay have partnered to create this on-site, nurse-managed clinic to provide health care for the thousands of seafarers whose global maritime routes bring them to the port each year. Seafarers are international maritime workers aboard cargo and cruise ships who are sometimes at sea for months at a time. Many seafarers come from impoverished countries and are unable to access reliable health care. Additionally, this clinic will provide health services to the Port Tampa Bay maritime community and its workers.
Patient care available at the clinic includes routine primary care (well visits and physicals), care for common acute and chronic health issues, point-of-care tests (blood glucose, pregnancy, rapid strep, etc.), DOT physicals, and immunizations.
The clinic will serve as a training site for nursing students, where they will learn from expert faculty how to identify and integrate social determinants of health into the patient plan of care.
“USF is committed to serving as a vital resource for our community – a local and global community,” said USF President Rhea F. Law. “This clinic is a terrific example of what that looks like in practice. The high-quality care that the USF Health College of Nursing provides to the seafarers also supports the needs of the workforce at the port, which plays an integral role in our economic ecosystem.”
“We are incredibly proud to bring this years-long partnership to life to provide much-needed care to our maritime community. Seafarers are the world’s essential workers and they keep our local and regional economy functioning. We are so grateful to the USF Health College of Nursing for their partnership and the resources they bring to these deserving workers,” said Paul Anderson, president and CEO of Port Tampa Bay.
Photo: One of the three patient rooms in the clinic.
Location: 1309 Shoreline Ave., Tampa, FL 33605
Hours of Operation: Monday- Friday || 8:00 AM- 4:00 PM
Phone: 813-396-0550
*Appointments preferred, walk-ins welcome