JANUARY 23, 2020

Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation recently awarded four grants totaling more than $1 million to Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s Emergency Care Center (ECC), Behavioral Health Program, Cancer Care Services and Operating Room.

$268,000 was awarded to help expand behavioral health services at SMH. The grant will be used to provide a continuum of outpatient behavioral health services for individuals suffering with mental illness. It will enable the community to receive the most appropriate level of care, in the most appropriate setting.

$624,000 helped fund a renovation to the Jo Mills Reis Care Center, an area of the ECC that opened in 1998. The center was designed to fast track patients outside of the stressful environment of a traditional emergency room. These renovations will help improve patient experiences.

$113,000 raised will help support the position of the oncology nurse navigator assigned to breast cancer patients. Navigators are registered nurses with specialized training in cancer care, they help families manage their cancer from diagnosis through survivorship.

$449,000 was given to replace the urology surgical video system. The video system will be used on patients undergoing surgical procedure and help provide high-definition images to their physicians.

“We are thrilled to be able to help SMH,” said Healthcare Foundation President, Mason Ayres. “Supporting these areas and other patient care initiatives is crucial to our mission of helping SMH offer world-class care in our community.”