Suspicious package that caused evacuation at Bay Pines VA hospital 'not a threat', officials say
BAY PINES, Fla. - The Bay Pines VA Healthcare System’s main campus was partially evacuated Tuesday morning after reports of a suspicious package, according to officials.
Around 9:20 a.m., the hospital said a suspicious package was found at the C.W. Bill Young Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center on Bay Pines Boulevard.
The first floor of the building was evacuated after it was discovered in the outpatient clinic module A, according to Bay Pines VA.
Officials quickly evacuated the area and the Tampa bomb squad and the FBI evaluated the package. The investigation revealed that it did not pose a threat of any kind.
What was inside the package is unknown at this time.
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According to authorities, the Emergency Department was closed during the investigation but reopened at 11:40 a.m.
"Outpatient primary care and specialty care appointments in bldg. 100 are cancelled through 1 p.m. Veterans who have appointments in bldgs. 22, 23, 111, the Lakeside Clinic (bldg. 102) and the Radiation Oncology Clinic (bldg. 107) have not been impacted by this incident. Leadership at the Bay Pines National Cemetery and the St. Petersburg Regional VA Office were notified immediately," stated Bay Pines VA Healthcare.