TAMPA, Fla., (Oct. 7, 2013) – The Fifth Third Foundation recently donated $10,000 to the University of South Florida (USF) BRIDGE Healthcare Clinic, a student-run free clinic that offers vital services to underserved members in the community, while providing medical training for USF students. The gift is part of the ongoing USF: Unstoppable campaign.
These funds will allow the organization to hire a clinic manager to schedule patient appointments, review labs and imaging reports, assist medical directors and attending physicians and register patients.
L To R: Curtis Stokes, vice president of Fifth Third Bank; Johan Vargas, BRIDGE Clinic manager; Dr. Donna Petersen, interim senior vice president, USF Health, and dean, College of Public Health; Oscar Rojas, BRIDGE Clinic manager; Juliana Gutierrez, MSIV, BRIDGE Clinic co-director; USF President Judy Genshaft; Brian Lamb, market president, Fifth Third Bank and USF Board of Trustees; Dr. Eduardo Gonzalez, MD, associate professor of family medicine and BRIDGE Clinic faculty advisor.
“Fifth Third Bank is committed to supporting the communities in which we serve – and a healthy community is a prosperous community,” said Brian Lamb, president and CEO for Fifth Third Bank (Tampa Bay). “This donation will provide the resources to hire a clinic manager at the BRIDGE Clinic that will help improve the quality and accessibility of care in the surrounding community.”
Currently, more than 150 USF Health students from the Colleges of Medicine, Physical Therapy, Social Work, Public Health, and Pharmacy are involved in making BRIDGE Clinic a reality. Since the clinic’s inception in 2007, USF students, under the guidance of health professionals, have provided healthcare services – like primary care, imaging, colonoscopy and mammography screening programs, HIV testing and other laboratory services – to nearly 1,000 people in the University-area community.
“BRIDGE provides an incredibly valuable service, both to our students and to the patients who depend on us for critical preventive care. We in turn depend on the generosity of individuals and forward-thinking businesses to further our mission”, said Dr. Donna Petersen, interim senior vice president, USF Health and Dean, College of Public Health. “We are so thankful to Fifth Third for their donation.”
About Fifth Third Bank
Fifth Third Bancorp is a diversified financial services company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Company has $123 billion in assets and operates 18 affiliates with 1,326 full-service Banking Centers, including 104 Bank Mart® locations open seven days a week inside select grocery stores and 2,433 ATMs in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Tennessee, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Georgia and North Carolina. Fifth Third operates four main businesses: Commercial Banking, Branch Banking, Consumer Lending, and Investment Advisors. Fifth Third also has a 25% interest in Vantiv Holding, LLC. Fifth Third is among the largest money managers in the Midwest and, as of June 30, 2013, had $313 billion in assets under care, of which it managed $27 billion for individuals, corporations and not-for-profit organizations. Investor information and press releases can be viewed at www.53.com. Fifth Third’s common stock is traded on the Nasdaq® National Global Select Market under the symbol “FITB.” Fifth Third Bank was established in 1858. Member FDIC.
About the USF: Unstoppable Campaign
The USF: Unstoppable Campaign is a comprehensive fundraising effort by the University of South Florida System to celebrate the energy, vision, and future of one of the country’s most exciting and engaged universities. Our people and programs, our ideas, our research, and our solutions comprise an ambitious plan to enhance healthcare, science, technology, education, business, the arts, and global partnerships.
Media contact:
Brooke Herron, (407) 284-0071, or brookeherron@costacg.com
