United Way Suncoast, Evara Health, Pinellas County Schools, Feeding Tampa Bay, and the Tampa Bay Rays gather to mark the success of the Campbell Park Neighborhood Resource Center.
A new health center that addresses inequities and lifts up students and parents. A new pantry that mitigates food insecurity.
It’s all made possible at United Way Suncoast’s Campbell Park Neighborhood Resource Center thanks to the collective work of Evara Health, Pinellas County Schools, Feeding Tampa Bay, and the Tampa Bay Rays.
These community partners will gather to celebrate this collaborative win with a special open house/media event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sept. 1. The Campbell Park Resource Center is located at 701 16th St. S in Building 7. The center is on the campus of the John Hopkins Middle School. For directions to the center please call (813) 274-0955.
United Way Suncoast works every day to address a range of challenges facing community members in our five-county region, including health inequities and food insecurity. The organization collaborates with its partners to ensure that the delivery of services leaves recipients feeling empowered and respected.
“We are very proud to have the opportunity to work with some incredible partners who have come together to better serve families of the Campbell Park community and surrounding neighborhoods,” United Way Suncoast Chief Impact Officer Emery Ivery said. “Now, the center will be able to provide health services, legal aid, job training, early learning programs, and other opportunities designed to give community members the freedom to rise.”
Evara Health, a federally qualified health center with 15 centers and a 42-year history in Pinellas County, has a mission to provide quality health care across Pinellas County. Evara Health approached the Pinellas County School District and UWS about expanding its services to the Campbell Park community more than two years ago to bring much-needed quality health care services to the residents of South St. Petersburg. It received final approval from the Pinellas County Board to join the list of partners working out of the resource center in February of 2022.
“None of this would be possible without the tremendous support of the Pinellas County School District, who provided the space for all of this to happen,” Ivery said.
Caprice Edmond, a Pinellas County School Board Member, and frequent volunteer at the Campbell Park Resource Center, said “I think it’s a fantastic partnership. Having strong partnerships with everyone else who is willing to lend a hand to help the children and faculty of this community is powerful.”
Evara Health staged a soft opening of the clinic earlier this month. Services offered at the center include family medicine, pediatrics, and telehealth. Its unique location in a middle school has the potential to be a boost to students at John Hopkins and nearby Campbell Park Elementary.
“We know that keeping a family healthy keeps a kid healthy and keeping a kid healthy keeps a kid in school,” said Evara Health Chief Medical Officer Nichelle Threadgill.
While the Evara Health Center is school based, the goal is to provide care for the entire Campbell Park community. United Way Suncoast welcomes the expansion of services offered at the Campbell Park Resource Center but will not oversee the delivery of health services or be responsible for the care delivered by Evara Health.
Meanwhile, the Rays and Feeding Tampa Bay have teamed up to create a welcoming and educational space for families using the food pantry at the Campbell Park Resource Center. The center has long partnered with the Rays and Feeding Tampa Bay along with other agencies to provide food distribution to the neighborhood. The pantry gives patrons a chance to select healthy food options one time per week.
“The co-location and coordination of services can lead to transformational progress for our neighbors,” said Matt Spence, Feeding Tampa Bay chief programs officer. “When food assistance is brought together with so many other great opportunities, we all benefit. Feeding Tampa Bay is thankful for the great partnerships we have with United Way, the Rays, Evara and so many other great community service providers.”
United Way Suncoast operates the Campbell Park Resource Center on the campus of the John Hopkins Middle School in South St. Petersburg. At the site, it provides many services to community members, and space for several strategic community partners including the City of St. Petersburg, Bay Area Legal, PEMHS (Personal Enrichment through Mental Health Services), and Pinellas County Urban League. The nonprofit’s Campbell Park Network for Early Learning also operates out of the Campbell Park Resource Center. The relatively new initiative seeks to transform the lives of preschoolers and their families in the historic South St. Petersburg neighborhood by improving kindergarten readiness.
“This event embodies the essence of collective impact,” said Dr. Jeffery Johnson, UWS Support Services Director. “The Campbell Resource Center is designed to convene partners in a unified space to provide holistic support for the entire family.”