Sarasota Memorial celebrates a century of care

Our story began 100 years ago, in a time before penicillin, when people still relied on “cure-all” elixirs to treat many common ailments, and the only facility for emergency care on the Suncoast was a 5-room, converted bungalow and tent for tuberculosis patients.

Sarasota was a small but inspired town poised for growth as flocks of Northerners fled the snow, slush and sleet to establish seasonal homes on the Suncoast.

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It was in this diverging state of affairs that Sarasota’s early leaders found purpose. Rallying residents and businesses alike—through sheer grit and a whole lot of fundraising—they raised the $40,000 needed to build the community’s first modern hospital.

The 32-bed Sarasota Hospital opened its doors to patients on Nov. 2, 1925, with a dozen physicians and 10 nurses and caregivers to provide around-the-clock care. At the dedication ceremony, the local newspapers called the community-owned hospital a “model of medical institutions” and “greatest philanthropic undertaking which this county has ever known.” 

That pioneering spirit and community-wide act of philanthropy laid the foundation for everything Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is today. As president and CEO of this enduring public institution, it is with humble pride that I reflect on such a momentous milestone — Sarasota Memorial’s centennial anniversary.

SMH has been taking care of this community for 100 years, through astonishing medical advances and decades of change. 

From humble beginnings, the original 32-bed hospital has evolved into one of the nation’s best health systems, and one of the most respected. A pioneer of new treatments and technologies, a life-saving trauma center, an award-winning teaching hospital, Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is one of the largest and most highly rated health systems in the U.S., with clinical outcomes and a reputation for quality care unmatched in our region.

It also is the Suncoast’s largest employer, with nearly 11,000 employees and 2,500 physicians and advanced care providers, overseeing roughly 2 million patient visits annually.

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Today, the community-owned health system includes two full-service hospitals in Sarasota and Venice (and another on the way in North Port), freestanding ERs in North Port and Lakewood Ranch, a comprehensive cancer institute, a rehabilitation hospital, a behavioral health hospital, skilled nursing facility and a comprehensive network of outpatient centers, urgent care clinics and physician practices.

Though much has changed in the past 100 years, one thing remains constant — our deep commitment to the health of this community. SMH has stayed true to its public mission — providing the highest quality care to our patients, while delivering essential, safety-net services other hospitals in Sarasota do not, including vital maternity care, newborn intensive care, pediatric care, trauma services and behavioral health care for people of all ages. 

All of this has been made possible by you, the people of Sarasota County, and the outstanding doctors, nurses, staff, volunteers, donors, and publicly elected Hospital Board, whose strong convictions guide our care. It is with that same resolution and resolve that we step bravely into the future, knowing the best is yet to come.

We look forward to the next 100 years of caring, together.

David Verinder is president and CEO of Sarasota Memorial Health Care System.