Baptist Hospital Legacy Campus Donations Reach Local Community and Beyond
Article written by John Porter, retired Baptist Health Care vice president
It is hard to believe that almost a full year has passed since the Baptist Hospital campus move to Brent Lane and I-110. Leading up to the big day of September 23, 2023, our team was extremely busy caring for our patients at the Legacy campus on E Street while also planning and training for the new hospital move. After much preparation, we safely moved into our Brent Lane campus and began providing care at our new location.
During all this work and preparation, Baptist received many requests from area not-for-profit groups for items at the E Street campus that we would not be taking with us – furniture, equipment and supplies. While we focused on the tremendous undertaking of a once-in-a-lifetime relocation, we kept a record of the organizations and agencies that inquired about materials that might be left behind.
In December 2023, we settled nicely into a cadence at the new campus. It was at that time we revisited the list of requests that had grown since we moved in. The organizations that reached out to us provide valuable services to our area with several having an international reach. All of these groups, on a daily basis, touch the lives and improve the circumstances of so many. They are all, without exception, a delivery system for God’s Kingdom work. Most of these organizations depend on donations or charitable giving to supplement or fully fund their functions. Supporting their efforts was an opportunity for us to lend a hand to organizations whose work aligns with Baptist’s Mission of helping people throughout life’s journey.
We called the organizations, and each group scheduled visits to scout the Legacy campus, identifying needed items and arranging for transport of materials to their locations.
Waterfront Mission secured beds and equipment to provide recovery services at its transitional step-down respite center. The center provides individuals who are homeless a safe space to recuperate following a hospital stay to regain their strength and transition to self-care. Clay Romano, Waterfront Mission president and CEO, expressed his and his team’s appreciation for the materials as well as the engagement from our nurses and management team who provided recommendations on post-hospital care processes.
Committed to supporting programs that help create a pipeline for people to enter health care professions, we were thrilled to donate equipment for training simulation labs and other miscellaneous furniture to the University of West Florida and Pensacola State College.
Health and Hope Clinic acquired chairs for its waiting room and two electric exam tables for treatment rooms – a huge help for patients with physical limitations.
Items that Lakeview Center collected allowed them to refresh beds, chairs, door hardware and office furniture for a variety of residential programs in Escambia and Walton counties.
Area schools and numerous churches received chairs, office furniture, microwaves, refrigerators, artwork, dry-erase boards and other equipment. With tight budgets, the materials will make a huge difference.
The Love for Peru Foundation secured beds, stretchers, examination tables, dialysis chairs and office furniture for medical posts in the northern parts and highlands of Peru. They also gained beds for their mission work in Mexico.
The SAMS Foundation out of Washington, D.C., took 96 beds and shipped them to southern Turkey for a refugee camp near the Syrian border.
In the end, equipment and furniture valued at more than $1 million was donated to 24 organizations (local non-profits and international missions) for meaningful reuse. Everything that could be repurposed has been emptied from the Legacy campus.
This donation initiative for us was truly a “God thing.” It was such an honor and a blessing for Baptist to be in a position where we could come to the service of others who are so totally committed to the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of our community and beyond. These recipients touched our hearts. They were so appreciative, so excited, so eager to put what they had received into service. Many tears of joy were shed by all of us at the prospect of how these items would be used to care for others.
For me personally, I was gifted beyond measure to be a part of this effort. I met such charming, sincere, passionate and compassionate people. I made new lifelong friends. I was inspired to get up each morning and to try to be more like these folks, to use them as a model for how to be truly Christ-like. I have since traveled to Peru, and I witnessed first-hand the impact the donations have made at a children’s hospital in a remote area in the highlands. It just doesn’t get any better than seeing that work come full circle.
Providing these materials to organizations that faithfully serve others is a tremendous blessing. We have a remarkable community with individuals and organizations dedicated to caring, teaching, educating and ministering — all to improve the quality of life for those they serve.
We are thankful for these groups and the meaningful contributions they make to our society.
Donation Recipients
Charities/Social Services/Outreach
• Beulah Senior Center - Miscellaneous – TV, chairs
• Family In Crisis - Miscellaneous furniture
• Health & Hope Clinic - Miscellaneous furniture, fixtures and equipment
Sally Bergosh - "We received a ton of waiting room chairs that actually match, letting our patients feel comfortable while waiting for services. We also received two electronic tables for our patient rooms, which is HUGELY impactful when we have a patient with physical limitations or disabilities that helps them receive better care! We also received a chiropractor table that will help our providers ensure stability while making adjustments with our patients."
• James B. Washington Education & Sports, Inc. - Miscellaneous furniture
James B Washington, Executive Director - "JBWES would like to say Thank You very much for the donation. The chair and computer table have been very instrumental in our computer lab for Academic Tutoring and research. Also, we picked up a couple of tables that we use in the kitchen to feed and serve the kids snacks. The couch is used in the office. Also, we were able to get two basketball goals and a weight set that we have in storage to use whenever we get to our gym. Thanks again for the furniture donation. It was exactly what we needed."
• REAP Reentry - Miscellaneous furniture
• The Hub Youth Event Center -Misc. Furniture
• Waterfront Rescue Mission -Beds, fixtures and furniture
"There is an extreme deficiency with post-acute care options for individuals experiencing homelessness throughout our community. Baptist Health Care’s generous donation will allow the Waterfront Mission to continue demonstrating God’s grace by providing rescue and recovery services in Jesus’ name through our transitional step-down respite center. Our Center will serve those individuals who are ready to be discharged from the hospital but are still too frail to recover on the streets. The Center will be that “safe space” where we can assist in stabilizing their medical conditions so they can safely transition to self-care by providing the “home-like” care and support they don’t otherwise have."
Behavioral Health
• Lakeview - Miscellaneous items
Jim Richardson - "I can share that the donation of the behavioral medicine furnishing provided by Baptist has been a most welcome addition to many of our residential units. The items donated were of very high quality and were immediately used to replace many worn furnishings that were in dire need of replacement. This donation allowed us to refresh beds, chairs, door hardware, and office furniture to a variety of our residential programs in Escambia and Walton counties."
Schools
• C.A. Weis Elementary - Miscellaneous furniture
Dr. Kimberly Thomas, principal, C.A. Weis Community School - "We received chairs and office furniture – every teacher got a nice “new” chair. Also got chairs for our office and media center conference waiting areas. It just makes everything look so nice. We are so thankful for the Baptist Health Care partnership. Beyond this furniture donation and our annual Christmas party, throughout the school year, departments reach out to CA Weis to offer help and support so that our teachers have what they need for the classroom."
• Capstone Academy - Misc. Furniture
Jennifer Johns (Program Support Specialist) - "This was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity for Capstone. We have needed new desks, chairs, and other office supplies for many years but have not had the means to purchase any. Baptists' donation will enable us to make a lasting impact on many adults and children's programs provided through Capstone, Capstone Academy, and Capstone Academy Milton Child Care Center. We cannot express enough gratitude for their generosity. As you can see, our clients love kicking back in the afternoon in the medical recliners, shelving units were dispersed to help organize areas such as our fundraising closet, our reception area got a complete makeover and can accommodate more guests, and everyone got new office chairs they love. This is just some of the great ways Baptist made a difference. Because of amazing community partners like Baptist, Capstone can continue providing important services that help children and adults with a spectrum of abilities and disabilities learn and grow to their fullest potential."
• Escambia Westgate Center - Frig/Washer & Dryer Sets
Marcia Ranaldson-Simpson, Navigator - "The washers have been great for the school. Escambia Westgate School is a public center school that educates special needs students with significant cognitive and physical impairments. Our age group is Pre-K to age 22. Laundry is being done all day long at our school. On average, the teacher aids wash at least four loads a day. Most of the students are in wheelchairs and wear diapers. As far as the use of the refrigerators, many of the students have special food requirements that don't allow them to eat the school cafeteria food. Because of the donated refrigerators, we are able to house the food for those students in the classroom instead of having to walk down to the cafeteria every day, which keeps the teachers from being pulled out of the classrooms as much. The interactions with the team that assisted us with picking up the washers and refrigerators were terrific! We appreciate the partnership with historical Baptist and would like to continue a partnership with the new Baptist Hospital as well. We are always in need of things with education as well as donations for our special needs students. So, if you can let me know how we can continue this Partnership I would appreciate it. It is definitely needed. We could always use volunteers and donations of different things because our funding has been cut."
• Workman Middle - Miscellaneous furniture
• Pensacola State College - Misc. Furniture/Medical Equipment
• University of West Florida - Misc. Medical Equipment and Furniture
Places of Worship/Church Ministries
• Bethel Baptist Church - Miscellaneous Furniture
Taffany Shipp - "First order of business is to THANK YOU for making it possible for our ministry (Bethel Baptist Church of Cantonment) to benefit from receiving furniture through the Baptist Hospital donations. Blessings to all of you for the work that you have done, continue to do and your future efforts.
We received three different types of chairs. One set is being used to upgrade one of our adult classrooms to provide better back support for our more elderly population. These roller type chairs are more comfortable and allow the students to swivel around, back and forth and move freely. We believe that comfortability leads to students’ ability to listen more attentively to their Sunday School teachers and Wednesday night Bible Study instructors. The second set of chairs will be used for the newly established youth church classroom. These are also roller chairs and are appropriate for both elementary, middle schoolers and teens. The chairs allow for quicker and easier movement as the students are often asked to work in small group settings.
The third set of chairs have replaced the old chairs (15+ years) in each business office.
We received several dry-erase boards that we are using to replace older boards in our classrooms.
We also received garbage cans that are more appropriate for public settings in our dining hall and classrooms.
All of these upgrades improve our ability to complete the work of ministry as directed according to God's will. "
• Brownsville Assembly - Misc. Furniture
"Brownsville used the items to renovate a building damaged by a roof collapse. They got furniture, baby changing tables, doors, a podium and a cross. They shared that they are grateful for the materials—a huge blessing—and appreciated working with the Baptist team to receive them."
• Charity Chapel - Miscellaneous
• Empowerment Church - Misc, Furniture
"Mr. John and Baptist were truly a great blessing to the Empowerment Church of Pensacola. We totally transformed the building for the members."
• Life Shifting Learning Ministry
• Ministry Village at Olive - Storage Racks
Drayton Smith, executive director - "We were able to repurpose some of the shelving from the old location. This shelving helped us with food storage in our existing food pantry. We are better organized and have more storage area to serve those in need more effectively and efficiently. Ministry Village is forever grateful for the shelving donation. It will be used for many years to come."
• Muhammad Mosque #98 - Miscellaneous Furniture
• Revelation Christian Ministry - Misc. Furniture
International Missions
• Love for Peru - Hospital beds, furniture, medical and office equipment
Magali and Piero Solimano, co-founders - "Used hospital furnishings, including motorized beds, stretchers, examination tables, dialysis recliners, waiting-room chairs, file cabinets and others. These furnishings were all sent to the northern area of Peru to rebuild medical posts recently ravaged by heavy rains, mudslides and flooding.
Supplies went to furnish the VidaWasi Pediatric Medical Center in the highlands of Peru, enabling the inauguration of their hospitalization facility. This facility aims to serve 500,000 needy children per year by 2027.
66 hospital beds went to the Peruvian Social Security Hospitals, enabling them to expand their hospitalization capacity in needy regions of the country.
We are very grateful to Baptist Health Care for its kindness and generosity. It has made a significant impact in the lives of thousands of needy people and medical care personnel in many underserved areas of Peru."
• SAMS Foundation - Beds - Sent to Turkey for a refugee camp near the Syrian border
Read more about Baptist's Legacy Campus