Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation (SMHF) joined the Specht family, SMH Chief Operating Officer Lorrie Liang, and Jim Tollerton, long-time family friend and former SMHF Board Trustee, in the dedication the laboratory at Sarasota Memorial Health Care Center and ER at North Port.

“The Specht Family was honored to be part of the dedication ceremony,” said Stephen Specht, son of Dr. and Mrs. Specht. “A gift from the estate of our parents to the Healthcare Foundation enabled the hospital to expand its medical laboratory to handle the needs of current and future patients. Through our parents’ generosity and continued desire to serve the Sarasota medical community, we are humbled and blessed,” he added.

The late Dr. Specht was a long time Sarasota physician who ran a family practice for 35 years. His wife Doris served as his nurse. Dr. Specht also served on Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s Board and as hospital chief of staff during the mid-1960s.

“Dr. and Mrs. Specht were lifelong supporters of Sarasota Memorial and I’m honored they asked me to help them leave a lasting legacy at SMH,” said Jim Tollerton, whose friendship with the Specht’s spanned more than 40 years. “One of their daughters, Julie Studer, was a lab specialist at SMH so the enhancement to the North Port Lab was a natural.”

The Specht Memorial Laboratory offers full service lab testing—most of which is completed on site. The Lab is located at Sarasota Memorial Health Care Center and ER at North Port which offers both comprehensive outpatient care and emergency services.

“Dr. Specht had a long, successful history as a physician in our community making the dedication of the North Port Lab a fitting and personal way to honor his legacy,” said Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation President Mason Ayres. “We are incredibly grateful to Dr. Specht and his family.”