BayCare Behavioral Health Hosts Recovery Month Events to Benefit Florida Veterans

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Sep 02, 2010, 10:07 ET

Events include Rockin' Recovery Concert and Tampa Bay Rays Game

CLEARWATER, Fla., Sept. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In observance of National Recovery Month, BayCare Behavioral Health is hosting events the weekend of September 25th to help educate the community about the disease of addiction and to raise money to provide necessary services and support for BayCare Behavioral Health's Veterans Initiative.

BayCare Behavioral Health founded the Veterans Initiative to meet the needs of Florida's veterans and their families by providing clinical, recovery and support services. The initiative includes 20 no-fee outpatient slots at BayCare Behavioral Health facilities in Pasco County for veterans or family members who are in need of clinical services. Since starting the Veterans Initiative in 2008, the outpatient slots have continuously been filled by grateful veterans and family members.

Also as part of the Veterans Initiative, BayCare Behavioral Health's Veteran Family and Support Network offers emotional support and assistance to past and present service personnel and their families dealing with the effects of deployment and issues involving re-integration. The network hosts free weekly support groups to provide emotional support and assistance to all veterans and their families.

BayCare Behavioral Health is working to expand its Veterans Initiatives throughout the Bay Area as there is a tremendous need to grow the program to Hillsborough and Pinellas counties and to increase Pasco County offerings.

To help raise money for the Veterans Initiative, BayCare Behavioral Health will host the 7th Annual Rockin' Recovery on Saturday, September 25th at 6:00 p.m. at Higgins Hall in Tampa (5221 N. Himes Ave.). Rockin' Recovery features a reception, silent auction and concert. Darryl Strawberry, the former New York Yankees baseball great, will be the keynote speaker and will discuss his personal journey through recovery.

The featured musical acts include: Las Vegas headliner Early Clover, recording artist Amanda Mason and jazz band MoBetta. Clover performs original songs and tributes to legendary artists such as Marvin Gaye, Nat King Cole and the Carpenters. He is a former member of Cornell Gunter's Coasters, a spin off group of the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers the Coasters. Together, Early Clover and MoBetta share and will be celebrating over 60 years of sobriety.

Silent auction items include Tampa Bay Rays packages, Caribbean and North Carolina vacation packages, tickets to the Outback Pro Am Golf tournament and much more.

Rockin' Recovery tickets are $35 per person and may be purchased in advance by calling 727-253-4052 or online at www.SJHFoundation.org under the events tab.

Also in support of Recovery Month, the Tampa Bay Rays are offering $20 tickets to the September 26th baseball game against the Seattle Mariners. For more information or to purchase tickets to the game, call BayCare Health System at 727-253-4052.

About BayCare Health System

BayCare Health System is a leading community-based health system in the Tampa Bay area. Composed of a network of 10 not-for-profit hospitals, outpatient facilities and services such as imaging, lab, behavioral health and home health care, BayCare provides expert medical care throughout a patient's lifetime. With more than 195 access points conveniently located throughout Tampa Bay, BayCare connects patients to a complete range of preventive, diagnostic and treatment services for any health care need.

BayCare's family of hospitals are: Mease Countryside, Mease Dunedin, Morton Plant, Morton Plant North Bay, St. Anthony's, St. Joseph's, St. Joseph's Children's, St. Joseph's Hospital-North, St. Joseph's Women's, and South Florida Baptist. For more information, visit BayCare on the Web at www.BayCare.org.

SOURCE BayCare Health System