Healthcare isn’t just run by medical physicians, it’s a complex working system with many aspects extending beyond the hospital. Regardless, a common theme with healthcare associated workers is to “do actions to help others without expecting anything in return.” On Friday, January 30th, 2026, Collegiate Leadership of the Tampa Bay Chamber Class of 2026 held their Healthcare and Mental Health Day. This was an anticipated event by many of our members, seeing as some wish to pursue medicine or psychology. Even if this wasn’t the passion of some of the students, everyone left with an eye-opening takeaway. We were able to view the ecosystem of businesses and individuals that sustain healthcare in the Tampa Bay area. This included emergency medicine, insurance, behavioral health, simulation training, and crisis response.
The day began at the Tampa Bay Chamber with our Day Chairs, Tina James from Florida Blue and Sean Billings from Ultimate Medical Academy, alongside our Collegiate Leadership Chair Antoine Richards. Florida Blue is a nonprofit health solutions under GuideWell. Their focus is on community health, affordability, and accessibility. In an interactive Kahoot session, we discussed the realities of insurance: HMOs versus PPOs, government subsidies versus marketplace plans, and the age limit of 26 for remaining on a parent’s policy. Despite us all carrying insurance cards, being on our parents insurance for some of us has proven us ignorant to the realities of insurance. We were surprised to see how complex and expensive the system can be. Thankfully, Chavelk Collado from Florida Blue, walked us through the step-by-step process of applying for insurance to help something intimidating feel tangible.
During a panel discussion, we heard from Tina James, Andre Curry, Brandon Hudspeth, and Chavelk Collado about their unique roles within Florida Blue. Andre Curry, a Saint Leo University graduate (GO LIONS), registered nurse that works in the emergency room, and Senior Field Marketing Manager at Florida Blue, shared how community education plays an important role in preventative care. Brandon Hudspeth discussed “Strike the Stigma” events to address high school mental health and bring communities together. Tina James emphasized the importance of corporate social responsibility in her role, while Chavelk described how her job is to be an operational backbone to keep the system running smoothly. Their advice to us as emerging leaders was that skills can be taught, but mindset is what determines growth. Be curious, be adaptable, and be accountable.
From the Tampa Bay Chamber, we walked to USF Health’s Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS), located in the Tampa Medical and Research District. We talked to Colleen Reiner and Dr. Melissa C. Milner, who are both Directors at CAMLS, about the changes in need for new technology. Since the pandemic, there has been workforce shortages and a need for stronger team-based preparation. Through the use of mannequins, microsurgery labs, and simulated patient rooms, healthcare professional teams can practice before lives are at stake. Here we toured places that replicated emergency rooms and learned about how they even set up virology simulations. Having just taken Microbiology last year, I found this very curious.
Also at CAMLS, we heard from Ultimate Medical Academy about workforce readiness. Their Campus President, Shadel Hamilton, emphasized self-awareness, mentorship, and professional development over position. Stefanie Druding, the Senior Director of Graduate Support at UMA gave us great advice: leadership is not a title, it is a behavior. Be a force multiplier. One lasting takeaway that we got from Dr. Shadel Hamilton was to follow instructions, but also be creative. These traits will help us to navigate the ambiguity of the workforce after graduation. I think that represents our class very well, as we strive to make an impact in the world no matter what paths we decide to take.
We continued to IBIS Healthcare Foundation, where we got a first look at their newest facility, Mariposa Women’s Hospital. Here, women are provided with mental healthcare in the Tampa Bay area. This 16-million-dollar project is set to start receiving patients in February 2026 and took about two and a half years to build. Mariposa is a 501C3 non-profit which means they don’t pay taxes. Mariposa works with Medicare Advantage to help patients pay for their stay. This beautiful two-story hospital is vibrant with the best amenities suited for comfort and safety. There are also other resources such as a pharmacy and a food pantry, which can help to be a buffer with other circumstances that women might already be facing. Mariposa’s connection with the community is so impactful. We learned that the Crisis Center of Tampa has an ambulatory service that brings patients to the Mariposa hospital if a patient needs help.
The Crisis Center provides behavioral health services, trauma counseling, and several services that support emotional health and promote healing. An interesting fact that we learned was that instead of holding assault kits for 5 or 10 years, the Crisis Center holds kits for about 50 years. This is important so that when people are ready to tell their stories they have their kits as evidence of their survival. Something that left a lasting impression was the final activity that we did with Amanda Carson, who is the director of talent management at Crisis Center of Tampa Bay. We did an activity where we built structures. What we did not know was that each team had either more or less resources than another, this would also include the instructions that we were given. The activity reminded me about barriers to healthcare, although resources may be around, some populations don’t know or do not have access to resources.
St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital was our last stop of the day where we had the opportunity to get a tour from Nikki Diaz- White. We saw different ambulances, a trauma helicopter, and the inside of an ER. The ambulances hold several kinds of equipment and a pharmacy full of different medications for life-saving efforts. One of the key things that the medic nurses told us is that you must be in unison with the other nurses. You must perform skills you don’t usually perform in the hospital and constantly learn and sharpen your skills. The helicopter tour was so cool! They told us the lowest they can go is 30 feet from the ground and they typically answer calls for time sensitive missions like intense car crashes, gunshots, and more severe cases. Within the team there is usually a pilot, medic, and a nurse. They also work 24- hour shifts. We then went inside the ER where we learned how to intubate a dummy. It looked easy as the Physician showed us on camera, but performing the procedure was another story. We also got to see how an ultrasound works and were told of common injuries that patients come in with, such as electric scooter accidents and gunshot wounds.
Overall, the Healthcare and Mental Health Day showed us how complicated the healthcare system is and the type of traits that leaders in medicine have in order to be successful in their field. All the advice we were given was beneficial and appreciated! A big thanks to everyone who participated in this amazing day and to our Day Chairs who all made it happen.