Morton Plant Mease Receives $1 Million Gift for Nursing Scholarships

Doug and Sally Bailey Give Gift to Help Aspiring Nurses

CLEARWATER, Fla., (June 14, 2018) -- Longtime area residents Doug and Sally Bailey recently made a $1 million gift in support of the Morton Plant Mease Healthcare Foundation’s Nursing Excellence Campaign, which will fund need-based scholarships for aspiring Morton Plant Mease nurses. To honor this gift, the nursing education building at Mease Dunedin Hospital will be named the Sally L. Bailey Nursing Education Building.

Both Doug and Sally are grateful for the scholarship help they received that made college possible and want to pay it forward so others can benefit as they have.

The Bailey’s moved to the area in 1970 and enjoyed successful careers, he as a senior executive with Eckerd Corporation and she in commercial real estate. He is a former member of the Morton Plant Mease Healthcare and BayCare board of directors.

“Our community could have the best beaches, restaurants, theaters, arts and culture, but if we don’t have our health to enjoy it, it means nothing,” Doug said. “Health care is our community’s greatest asset and we feel honored to do our part in supporting the hospitals.”

“We are so appreciative that the Bailey’s have recognized the importance of an excellent health care system in our community and have invested their resources to allow us to help aspiring nurses achieve their education and career goals,” said Ernestine Morgan, president and CEO of the Morton Plant Mease Health Care Foundation.

The Morton Plant Mease Health Care Foundation offers our nurses several innovative programs to help them grow in their careers. These include:

• Dr. George Morris Earn As You Learn Program that pays for team members’ education while they continue their jobs
• Lois Odence Planters Endowment that awards stipends to promising nursing students in Morton Plant Mease hospitals to help defray expenses such as transportation and childcare
• Annie Miller Scholarship provides scholarships to licensed practical nurses pursuing further education to become a registered nurse
• Katherine T. Smith Scholarship provides additional funds beyond tuition assistance for registered nurses who are pursuing a bachelor’s or master’s degree in nursing

About Morton Plant Mease Health Care Foundation
Morton Plant Mease Health Care Foundation is committed to supporting the hospitals of Morton Plant Mease to improve the health and wellness of our community by inspiring people to invest in high-quality, compassionate care. The close connection between the hospitals of Morton Plant Mease and their neighbors reveal a unique spirit of giving – a relationship characterized by people caring for the hospitals that care for them. For more information, please visit www.mortonplantmeasefoundation.org. 

About Morton Plant Mease
Nationally recognized for health care excellence, Morton Plant Mease Health Care is dedicated to providing community owned health care services that set the standard for high-quality, compassionate care. Morton Plant Mease Health Care is comprised of the following hospitals – Morton Plant, Clearwater; Mease Dunedin, Dunedin; Mease Countryside, Safety Harbor and Morton Plant North Bay, New Port Richey. For more information about Morton Plant Mease, go to www.baycare.org/about-us/morton-plant-mease. 

About BayCare Health System
BayCare is a leading not-for-profit health care system that connects individuals and families to a wide range of services at 14 hospitals and hundreds of other convenient locations throughout the Tampa Bay and central Florida regions. Inpatient and outpatient services include acute care, primary care, imaging, laboratory, behavioral health, home care, and wellness. Our mission is to improve the health of all we serve through community-owned, health care services that set the standard for high-quality, compassionate care. For more information, visit BayCare on the Web at www.BayCare.org.