Derika Graham, manager at HCA Florida Plant City Emergency (left) poses with Melanie White, clinical nurse coordinator at HCA Florida Plant City Emergency, inside Mel’s Care Closet at HCA Florida Plant City Emergency.
February 1, 2023 – Melanie White has served as a caregiver in the HCA Florida Brandon Hospital community for over 35 years. She has held many titles during that time, her most recent being a clinical nurse coordinator for the past 10 years at HCA Florida Plant City Emergency, a part of HCA Florida Brandon Hospital.
“Melanie is a leader known to provide a higher quality of care with a commitment to do what is right,” said Derika Graham, manager at HCA Florida Plant City Emergency. “With that quality of care comes kindness that Melanie shares with the homeless community in Plant City.”
About five years ago, White recognized a need within the Plant City community to serve the homeless population treated by caregivers at HCA Florida Plant City Emergency. White noticed that patients were leaving the facility without proper shoes and clothes, so she started bringing new items to give to men, women and children of all sizes. Fellow caregivers noticed and became inspired by her efforts to provide to the community. They followed her lead and began bringing in their own donations for the cause. Before long, there were stacks and stacks of clothes for those in need, which started Mel’s Care Closet.
“Plant City is my home, this is my community, and it brings me joy to not only provide care, but comfort to the patients we care for,” said White.
At HCA Florida Brandon Hospital, we pride ourselves in the care we provide to those in need. Recognizing that need comes from a core care standard we hold our caregivers to, empathy. We are committed to delivering superior, patient-centered quality care to every patient on every visit. We are proud to have caregivers like White representing our care standards and HCA Florida Plant City Emergency.
For information on how to donate items to Mel’s Care Closet, contact Graham at Derika.Graham@hcahealthcare.com. The greatest need is socks and men’s and children’s clothing. Donations should be new items with tags.
About HCA Florida Brandon Hospital
Accredited by The Joint Commission, HCA Florida Brandon Hospital is a 455-bed acute care facility that is nationally ranked as a Top 100 Hospital by IBM Watson. The hospital offers a number of specialty services including a Heart and Vascular Center of Excellence, Children’s Emergency Center, Inpatient Rehabilitation Center, Burn and Plastic Surgery Center, Weight Loss Surgery Center of Excellence, Comprehensive Stroke Center and The Women’s Center, which includes the baby suites and Level III neonatal intensive care units. Additional services include an orthopedic program, comprehensive hand program and lymphedema surgery. The hospital’s ER is one of the busiest in the state, with adult and children’s centers on its main campus and five additional emergency locations in Lakeland, New Tampa, Plant City, Riverview and Temple Terrace. The hospital is located at 119 Oakfield Drive in Brandon, FL. For more information, visit HCAFloridaBrandonHospital.com.
