SARASOTA MEMORIAL
HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION
INCORPORATED
1976

1838 WALDEMERE STREET
SARASOTA, FLORIDA 34239

TELEPHONE  (941) 917-1286
FACSIMILE  (941) 917-2270
SMHF.ORG

Emergency Care Center Expansion Campaign

Bigger
       and Better

EMERGENCY CARE * 24/7 * We're Always Here

Emergencies require time sensitive services for life threatening events: Stroke, cardiac incidents and accidents of all types.  While emergencies are not planned, the resources to deal with them can and should be.

 LIVES DEPEND UPON THE ABILITY TO DELIVER THIS CARE

Sarasota Memorial Hospital (SMH) has a long tradition of planning for and providing outstanding healthcare services to area residents. Today, however, the ability of the hospital’s Emergency Care Center (ECC) to deliver quality care in a timely fashion is in serious jeopardy.

Residential growth coupled with the demographics and demands of an aging population are placing a severe strain on SMH’s Emergency Care Services. Simply put, there is the very real possibility that the ECC will not be able to meet the community’s emergency care needs when they are needed. The starkest example is that now, during peak periods, ambulances sometimes are diverted to other hospitals – some not even in Sarasota County – due to the shortage of ECC beds.  These diversions delay patients’ access to critical services.

To address the demands of growth, immediate expansion of the ECC facilities and services is necessary. SMH needs your help now to provide the necessary capacity and resources.

OVERTAXED, OVERCROWDED

Sarasota Memorial Hospital (SMH) is the second largest acute care public hospital in Florida.  Ranked among the top five percent of emergency healthcare centers in the U.S. in the volume of patients treated, the ECC is the second busiest on the west coast of Florida and #1 south of Tampa.

The SMH ECC delivers many services not available at other area emergency centers.  SMH is the only hospital in Sarasota County providing advanced obstetrical services to women south of Tampa Bay and the only hospital-based unit to care for the mentally ill in crisis.

To keep up with the community’s growth and continue to provide the highest level of emergency care to which SMH has long been dedicated, it is essential to tackle the short and long term capacity and technology needs of the ECC now.

ANSWERING THE NEED

Recognizing the importance of emergency healthcare and the urgency for action, Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation has embarked upon a campaign to raise $13 million for Phase I of the expansion to meet this essential community requirement.

A flexible plan over the next five to seven years calls for a series of expansions that will provide for the community’s emergency care needs for the next 15 years with modern, well-planned facilities capable of handling 118,000 visits a year. Without expansion, SMH is at risk of losing quality staff, services and its reputation as a first-rate institution upon which the community has come to rely. There is no question that individual philanthropy is required.

JOIN OUR CAMPAIGN

LIVES DEPEND UPON THE ABILITY TO DELIVER THIS CARE

We need your help.  The time to consider this need is now, not when it is your personal emergency and the ECC has become a victim itself. Your support of the expansion of ECC services is a gift that will ensure quality emergency care for years to come.

Join our community campaign to help fund the construction and renovation of Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s Emergency Care Center.  For information on how you can help, please contact the Healthcare Foundation office at (941) 917-1286.