2024 Report Spotlights Sarasota Memorial’s Monumental Growth, Service to Community

June 24, 2024 | Sarasota

The past year has been one of monumental growth and service for Sarasota Memorial Health Care System (SMH). The hospital recently released its 2024 Community Update which highlights Sarasota Memorial’s transformative expansion initiatives and new services improving the health of the Suncoast region and patients it serves.

From opening world-class medical facilities and expanding vital services, to attracting top-notch physicians and clinicians to our fast-growing community, Sarasota Memorial’s accomplishments the past year are wide-ranging. Among these achievements are placing among U.S. News & World Report’s list of the top hospitals in the country for over 20 types of care, ranking among Newsweek’s World’s Best Hospitals, and earning a spot on Forbes’ list of “America’s Best Large Employers” These independent quality and reputation reviews came amid a period of exponential growth and helped the health system attract nearly 3,600 new staff members in 2023, continuing its status as the region’s largest employer with over 10,000 employees.

Founded in 1925, SMH was the county’s first modern hospital and remains the only community-owned, not-for-profit hospital in the region. Shaped by and for the community it serves, the health system is guided by an unpaid, publicly-elected Sarasota County Public Hospital Board, which provides strategic oversight, transparency and accountability. The governing board helps ensure that SMH operates in the best interest of the community, maintaining high standards of fiscal responsibility and patient service as it pursues advances in health care and technological innovation.

“As stewards of public resources, we are dedicated to ensuring that Sarasota Memorial Health Care System continues to deliver excellent care and maintain complete trust and confidence in the community we serve,” Sarasota County Public Hospital Board Chair Sarah Lodge said. “In looking back at the progress over the past year, we are proud to support an organization that prioritizes patient safety and quality above all else.”

In its 2024 Community Update, Sarasota Memorial spotlights several initiatives meeting essential needs in the fast-growing region. These include:

 *   The opening of the state-of-the-art Cornell Behavioral Health Pavilion in 2023, providing a complete continuum of mental health care as Sarasota County’s only hospital that serves behavioral health patients of all ages.
 *   Groundbreaking on the new Milman-Kover Cancer Pavilion, a new 7-story outpatient cancer center scheduled to open in 2025. It is the third in a series of premier cancer care facilities that make up SMH’s expanding Brian D. Jellison Institute.
 *   Ongoing construction of the Kolschowsky Research and Education Institute. When it opens in 2025, the Institute will include physician training, clinical education programs and a medical library. It also will house a new, state-of-the-art simulation center to provide safe, hands-on training for caregivers.

The hospital also is expanding services and facilities serving areas of the county seeing vast population growth. For example, SMH is doubling the capacity of its Venice campus and plans to develop new medical facilities in North Port and Wellen Park to provide residents with convenient access to hospital services, outpatient care, and physician offices. It is also expanding emergency care in the northern part of the county.

“We are proud to celebrate the growth and success of this valued public institution and the important steps it continues to take to ensure our community has access to comprehensive, top-quality care,” Sarasota Memorial President and CEO David Verinder said.

By the Numbers:
Founded in 1925, Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is a regional health system offering Southwest Florida’s greatest breadth and depth of care, with two hospital campuses, freestanding ER, skilled nursing and rehabilitation center, cancer institute, behavioral health pavilion and regional network of outpatient/urgent care centers and physician practices. In 2023, the community-owned health system had:

 *   1.7 million patient visits system-wide
 *   172,400 visits at its 3 Emergency Care Centers
 *   31,300 surgeries performed annually
 *   4,600 babies delivered
 *   $284 million in mission services costs, which include charity care, clinics and other community programs; bad debt; around-the-clock specialty care for trauma, emergency and hospitalized patients; & Medicaid/Medicare losses
 *   Approximately 10,000 employees, making it the region’s largest employer
 *   2,500 physicians and advanced care providers
 *   700 volunteers
 *   $1.6 billion in operating expenses, including $900 million payroll, helping support the local workforce, businesses and community.
 *   $900 million payroll supporting local workforce
 *   $1.6 billion in operating expenses that help support local businesses and community members
 *   $196.7 million in facilities and equipment upgrades to improve care

The complete 2024 Community Update is available here: https://issuu.com/smhcs/docs/2024_smh_community_update?fr=sZmE3MDY1NzMzNjU