Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation Awards more than $485,000 in Grants

Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation recently awarded eight grants totaling more than $485,000. Five of the grants were awarded to Sarasota Memorial Hospital (SMH) for new technology, education and research advancements, and equipment upgrades.

“We remain committed to helping ensure Sarasota Memorial remains one of the top hospitals in the country and these grants support our mission,” said Healthcare Foundation President, Mason Ayres.

These grants included:

• Bassinets and Cribs for Pediatrics: More than $50,000 was awarded to Women and Children’s Services at SMH for the purchase of cribs and bassinets. The upgrades will benefit pediatric patients ranging from newborns to toddlers. 
• Remote Patient Monitoring Equipment: A $47,000 grant for new equipment will help expand a remote patient monitoring program at SMH. The cardiovascular department previously launched the program for COPD patients and saw a significant decrease of 30-day readmissions. The new equipment will help open the program to more patients, including those suffering from pneumonia, congestive heart failure and heart attacks.
• RENEW Program:  A grant for $81,500 was awarded to help expand the RENEW program, a wellness program currently offered to SMH employees. The expansion will create an online-based program that will be offered to employees as well as community members.
• Blood Bank Refrigeration and Freezer systems:  More than $71,000 was granted to SunCoast Blood Bank to replace the current refrigeration and freezer system. The new system will provide an extra level of protection for our community’s blood supply and is expected to be installed in December 2019.
• Internal Medicine Inpatient Chief Resident: A grant for $150,000 was given to the Internal Medicine Residency Program at SMH to fund the inpatient Chief Medical Resident position for one year. The chief resident will serve as an attending physician for inpatient services, as well as overseeing other residents in training.

Other grants included: $50,000 for the 2019 Clinical Scholar Fellowship, $25,000 to the Cardiovascular Center of Sarasota for the Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Update, and $10,000 to the Chabad of Sarasota for Geriatric Compassionate Care Symposium.