SMH Board chair vows to impartially examine COVID-19 response

I am honored by the trust and confidence placed in me to serve as chairman of the Sarasota Memorial Hospital Board of Directors for the coming year.

I have said on many occasions that Sarasota Memorial Hospital is a community treasure. Ever since 1921 when a group of citizens in Sarasota began fundraising for a hospital, SMH has grown from a 32-bed hospital that opened in 1925 to a hospital system with more than 1,000 beds on two campuses with more than 8000 employees.

Our hospital has been led by committed citizens elected from the populace who are charged with oversight responsibility of the hospital. We serve without compensation. I am proud to be a part of that tradition as we enter our 98th year of serving the health care needs of Sarasota County.

We recently had our first board meeting with newly elected board members. More than 200 citizens attended to voice their opinions on the hospital’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

More than 33 speakers offered comments: 17 shared heart-wrenching stories of patients and families affected by the early waves of the COVID-19 pandemic; 16 expressed praise and support for the dedication, sacrifice and service of SMH physicians and staff during the pandemic.

As a result of over two-and-a-half hours of public comment, the board asked that management and the medical staff conduct a thorough review of the hospital’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The board wants to know what we did right, what we did wrong, what lessons were learned, and how we can be better prepared for the next pandemic which will inevitably come. We should not pre-judge the outcome of such a review until we can gather the information and understand the challenges facing a health care system in a future pandemic.

We expect the report to be public in the next 60-90 days.

As chairman, I pledge my wholehearted effort in working together to build on the success of our hospital system. I want you to know three things:

First, the board wants to do what is best for the hospital system, for our patients, the medical professionals, the hospital staff, and the citizens of Sarasota County who elected us. We may not agree all the time, but as chairman I promise to be straight forward and open to debate. I will conduct our meetings impartially, and allow everyone, both board members and the public, to voice their opinions with the objective of doing what is best for our system. 

As a publicly elected body, our duty is to provide oversight for the hospital and as part of that to listen to the citizens and to our medical professionals.

Second, I am not out to disrupt the operation of the hospital or the staff. Some have called me a maverick on this board because I have been willing to ask hard questions and challenge management to be the best they can be. I have said on many occasions the administrative team and medical staff are doing an outstanding job running this hospital. The proof is in our numbers and the national recognition the hospital has received year after year. I know this will continue.

I also want to reiterate my commitment for SMH remaining a public hospital. I said this in 2016 when I was first elected and reconfirmed it when I was re-elected in 2020. And I state again, this hospital is not for sale. It is a community treasure.

Third and finally, my goal as chairman is to channel the new energy of the board for the good of the hospital and the community. We will continue to deliver the very finest health care for our citizens. I ask for your help in doing that.

Thank you again for the opportunity to serve.

Tramm Hudson is the chair of the Sarasota Memorial Hospital Board. He is a retired Sarasota banker, U.S. Army officer and well-known community leader.