SARASOTA, Fla. (Feb. 9, 2026) – Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is moving forward with plans to open a new endoscopy and digestive health center next to its Venice hospital campus.
The Sarasota County Public Hospital Board recently approved plans for the $12 million outpatient center, which will be located in a leased facility that is being developed contiguous to the SMH-Venice campus at 2695 Curry Lane, Nokomis.
Flagship Healthcare Properties is developing a three-story, 54,000-square-foot medical office building on the vacant parcel adjacent to the Venice hospital campus. Sarasota Memorial signed a lease to occupy at least one floor with outpatient endoscopy services.
“We are looking forward to opening the outpatient center and expanding capacity as soon as possible,” said SMH-Venice President Sharon Roush. “The need for screenings, both routine outpatient and inpatient, has been increasing every year. Expanding our capacity will reduce wait times and the amount of time from screening to diagnosis, ensuring timely care for all of our patients.”
Since the SMH-Venice hospital opened in late 2021, the volume of gastrointestinal procedures has nearly quadrupled, from just over 1,000 in fiscal 2022 to 3,762 in fiscal 2025. Currently, both inpatient and outpatient endoscopies are performed inside the hospital.
Expanding endoscopy services to an adjacent center will allow the SMH-Venice gastrointestinal team to schedule more colonoscopies and routine diagnostic procedures outside the hospital, while increasing capacity to treat acute, complex cases inside the hospital, Roush said. The outpatient location, which will remain a department of the hospital, also will provide easier access and more convenient parking for outpatients.
Pending permitting and city approvals, Flagship plans to complete the outpatient building in the second quarter of 2027. SMH’s design/build team will work in tandem to develop a 17,000-square-foot endoscopy center in the building, with an opening goal in late 2027. As proposed, the endoscopy center will have 24 exam rooms and four procedural suites, as well as pre- and post-procedural areas. It will be equipped with the latest endoscopic testing and treatment technology to diagnose and treat diseases and disorders involving the esophagus, stomach, colon, intestines, liver, pancreas and biliary tree.
It will also be the new home for SMH First Physicians Group’s team of gastroenterologists. SMH’s multi-specialty digestive health team offers screenings, evaluations and coordinated care for a range of gastrointestinal conditions, including: Barrett’s esophagus, celiac disease, chronic liver disease, diverticular disease, esophageal motility disorders (including achalasia), gallstones/gallbladder disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), GI cancers (including colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, esophageal cancer and pancreatic cancer), hemorrhoids, inflammatory bowel disease (including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis), irritable bowel syndrome, pancreatitis, pancreaticobiliary disorders and peptic ulcer disease.
About Sarasota Memorial Health Care System
Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is a regional medical center offering Southwest Florida’s greatest breadth and depth of care, with about 2,500 physicians and advanced practice providers, 11,000 employees and 2 million patient visits a year across its network of care. Sarasota County’s largest employer, the community-owned health system includes two full-service hospitals in Sarasota and Venice, freestanding ERs in North Port and Lakewood Ranch, a rehabilitation hospital, behavioral health hospital, skilled nursing facility and comprehensive network of outpatient centers, urgent care clinics and physician practices. Founded in 1925, SMH’s flagship Sarasota hospital is the only Florida hospital to earn a perfect 5-Star rating from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services — every year — since the federal rating program began in 2016.
About Flagship Healthcare Properties
Flagship Healthcare Properties, LLC (Flagship) is a fully-integrated outpatient healthcare real estate firm serving clients throughout the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Flagship offers a full range of real estate services, including acquisitions, development, leasing and brokerage, as well as facilities, property and asset management. Flagship manages approximately 8.4 million square feet of healthcare real estate in more than 405 properties serving more than 770 tenants. Flagship serves as the manager of its private REIT, Flagship Healthcare Trust, Inc. For more information, visit: www.FlagshipHP.com.