Our community continues to prove the power of philanthropy. It understands the importance of access to superior medical care and it allows us to provide grants for life-saving technology, programs, facilities and staff education. Grants in Action is an opportunity to highlight our community’s ongoing commitment to raise the standard of healthcare.

The Healthcare Foundation’s core mission is to provide critical support to Sarasota Memorial Health Care System and ensure that our community has the necessary resources and access to the best healthcare services. Recently, nine grants for more than $3.3 million were awarded to SMH. These grants will fund a wide range of world-class services from emergency care to laboratory needs, and ensure that our community has access to state-of-the-art technology and that our healthcare can be provided by professionals with first-rate training and education.

Among the nine grants recently awarded, more than $2 million will help fund an upgrade to the Cardiac Catheterization Lab. An additional $195,000 was granted for subspecialty training for Internal Medicine Residents; and a grant for $145,828 from funds raised during the 2018 Hospital Gala will provide new diagnostic and monitoring equipment in SMH’s Trauma Center. A final grant of $148,000 was awarded for lab renovations at the SMH North Port facility.

“We are grateful for the Healthcare Foundation’s ongoing support and investment in the health of our community,” said SMH CEO David Verinder. “The generosity of donors and their commitment to high quality care helps bring the latest treatments to the people of our community.”

Another major initiative of the Healthcare Foundation is to provide funding to other area not-for-profit organizations that collaborate with SMH. This ensures that all community healthcare needs are met, and with that mission in mind, a tenth grant for $38,200 was given to Good Samaritan Pharmacy & Health Services to provide prescribed medications to uninsured and underinsured patients at SMH’s Internal Medicine Practice in Newtown.