HCA Florida Brandon Hospital has partnered with the Emergency Care Help Organization (ECHO) to provide clothing essentials to patients in need. These patients may have had their clothing damaged in emergency care, be homeless and/or are in need support from the community.
Brandon Hospital now has ECHO’s Closet located in its emergency department. It provides clothing of all sizes for men, women and children.
“At ECHO, we are bridging the gap between crisis and stability every day. Creating a patient clothing closet at Brandon Hospital is simply one more way for ECHO to show the community our heart. We feel grateful that Brandon Hospital has joined our cause to give patients access to much needed clothing. After emergency care, people face many challenges to recover and return to their daily lives. We feel that we have a partner in Brandon Hospital in this process,” said Annmarie Macaluso, ECHO store manager.
“It’s important that when a patient is being discharged that they are looking and feeling their best. By providing clothes, especially for patients whose clothes were severely damaged in emergency care or to those who just don’t have a clean outfit, we feel like we connect better with the community. We want to take care of their health but also their overall well-being. Not only does ECHO’s Closet connect them with clothing when they are in need, but we are able to guide patients to the great resource we have in this community with ECHO,” said Dr. Sergio Martinez, emergency room physician at Brandon Hospital.
Clothing donations can be dropped off at one of the ECHO Thrift locations: ECHO North at 424 W. Brandon Blvd. and ECHO South at 815 W. Bloomingdale Ave. in Brandon. Financial donations can be provided at https://echofl.org/give-today/.
ECHO was founded in 1987 in partnership with the Brandon Ministerial Association and the business community. It was created so churches and others could send people in need to one central location. ECHO was originally housed at a local firehouse and only provided emergency food and clothing. At this time, volunteers staff it completely.
Accredited by The Joint Commission, HCA Florida Brandon Hospital is a 479-bed acute care facility that is nationally ranked as a Top 100 Hospital by Fortune/PINC Al. 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 unit. 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. For more information, visit www.hcafloridabrandonhospital.com.
HCA Florida Brandon Hospital is also one of America’s 250 Best Hospitals for 2025, according to new research released by Healthgrades, the No. 1 site Americans use when searching for a doctor or hospital. This achievement reflects Brandon Hospital’s unwavering commitment to exceptional patient care and puts the organization in the top 5 percent of hospitals nationwide for overall clinical performance.
