Providing top-notch medical care is critical to the health of patients at Sarasota Memorial Health Care System. Thanks to the generosity of our community, the Healthcare Foundation is able to provide grants to fund state-of-the-art equipment, continuing education and wellness programs for our healthcare providers, and many other lifesaving initiatives. Grants in Action is an opportunity to highlight our community’s ongoing commitment to raising the standard of healthcare.

Recently, the Healthcare Foundation awarded seven grants totaling more than $700,000. Some of the key grants included a grant for $123,769 to purchase much needed Critical Care equipment, such as a therapeutic cooling unit that prevents brain injury in cardiac arrest patients; FujiFilm SonoSite Ultrasound, which allows medical staff to place treatment lines right in patients’ rooms; and a CRRT Prismaflex machine to deliver bedside dialysis.

Another $200,000 was granted to expand the Restore and Empower through Nutrition, Exercise and Wellness (RENEW) program, a 12-week initiative to improve the health and wellness of Sarasota Memorial Hospital employees. The program incorporates nutrition, fitness, stress management, and social support to ensure that all hospital staff achieve optimal health. Research finds that wellness programs like RENEW save hospitals up to 80 percent in healthcare costs.

The Mother-Baby and Neonatal Intensive Care units received $38,505 to purchase new, state-of-the-art newborn hearing screening equipment. Screening can detect hearing loss within an infant’s first few days of life, which allows doctors to start interventions quickly to prevent speech and language development issues.

Finally, $250,000 was granted to First 1,000 Days Sarasota County, a program that improves access to medical and wellness care for low-income mothers and their babies. About half of the babies delivered in Sarasota County are born to families living below the poverty line, and their families often lack the resources needed to keep them healthy. This grant will support the Patient Navigator Program, which helps new parents access the medical, emotional and wellness support services they’ll need to give their baby the best head start in life.

These grants and many others are the reason Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is a nationally recognized leader in technology, research and patient care, allowing our community to benefit from the latest advances and highest standards available.