Pinellas County Hospital Celebrates 50th Anniversary

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — HCA Florida Northside Hospital in St. Petersburg celebrated its 50th anniversary Friday and Saturday, according to a news release.

The hospital opened its doors on Jan. 10, 1976, as Hubert Rutland Hospital.

It was named for one of its primary backers, Rutland, a St. Petersburg businessman, rancher and banker, the news release said. Other backers of the hospital included local lawmaker C.W. Bill Young and a core group of physicians.

“Fifty years ago, a group of visionaries founded Northside Hospital to bring high-quality care close to home and help people live longer, healthier lives,” Phil Marchesini, chief executive officer of Northside Hospital, said. “Today, we honor that vision and continue the tradition of growing and investing in the best medical equipment, most advanced technology and best teams of physicians, nurses, and caregivers.”

Local lawmakers, including county commissioners, city leaders from St. Petersburg and Pinellas Park, and state Rep. Lindsay Cross attended a special VIP event on Friday night honoring Bob Gross, the hospital’s 50-year employee, as well as two of the original doctors who worked at the hospital when it opened.

On Saturday, the community and employees were invited to celebrate with free food, a teddy bear clinic with the hospital’s emergency room nurses, bubbles, a petting zoo, face painting, balloon art, and touch-a-truck with St. Pete Fire Rescue, Lealman Fire Rescue, and Sunstar Paramedics.

Since its opening, the 288-bed, full-service, acute-care hospital has served tens of thousands of patients, and today, it employs more than 1,000 staff members and more than 600 doctors.

In the last two years, $25 million in capital investments were made on interior renovations, remodeling, and upgrades, as well as medical technology purchases.

Northside is a Comprehensive Stroke Center, providing preventive and corrective cardiac care and surgery, 24/7 emergency room services, and the latest in minimally invasive and robotic surgery options, the news release said.

It was named one of America’s 250 Best Hospitals in 2025 and 2024 and was a 2024 Patient Safety Excellence award winner by Healthgrades. It is also recognized as among the top 10 percent in the nation for critical care and surgical care.