TAMPA, Fla. — Dozens of Tampa General Hospital staff and their patients are headed to Tallahassee Tuesday to meet with lawmakers and let them know about the good work they’re doing here in the community.

“The services we offer are extremely high level.  We are a teaching hospital, a safety net hospital, number one trauma hospital, so we get a lot.  We have huge transplant programs, and like I said trauma, the burn center, it's amazing what we've been doing,” said Kristen Kellar, the Patient Advisory Coordinator.

This will be Kellar’s second trip to the Capitol for “We Are TGH Day.” The first trip was in 2019, and last year’s was cancelled because of the pandemic.

Kristen said they’ll take extra precautions to keep everyone healthy, like holding the event outdoors, and taking additional buses so they can socially distance themselves.

She said it’s important for our lawmakers to hear from patients, and healthcare workers, so when they’re making decisions that will impact us, they have actual people to keep in mind, not just policies.

“It was so meaningful to me just to listen to the patients tell their stories.  They're very heartfelt.  We've had people who have literally been on their death bed and truly made it through due to their own determination and our hospital and services, and hard working team members,” said Kristen.