SARASOTA, Fla. (April 22, 2021) – The Sarasota County Public Hospital Board this week authorized Sarasota Memorial staff to move forward with preliminary site and design plans for 2 new outpatient oncology facilities: a new, 6-story cancer pavilion on the hospital’s Sarasota campus and a 2-story cancer center on its developing Venice hospital campus.
The new outpatient cancer facilities are the next phase of Sarasota Memorial’s expanding Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute, a comprehensive cancer program SMH began developing in 2018 to provide oncology patients with seamless access to the latest treatments, technologies, support services and clinical trials in their own community.
In 2020, the health system opened a new outpatient Radiation Oncology Center at its University Parkway campus, introducing a new clinical specialty for the hospital. And this fall, it will open a new, 8-story tower dedicated to cancer patients on the Sarasota hospital’s campus.
The board vote this week paves the way for Sarasota Memorial staff to begin working on preliminary schematics and site plans for 2 outpatient projects:
- The Cancer Pavilion at SMH-Sarasota – With approximately 150,000 square feet of space, the 6-story outpatient pavilion that would be built across the street from the new inpatient oncology tower. The pavilion would offer an array of outpatient services, including a new breast health center, outpatient surgery suites, radiation and infusion services, diagnostic services, integrative and supportive care, and administrative and clinic space for physicians, counselors and navigators who provide coordinated care for patients and families.
- Cancer Center at SMH-Venice – With approximately 50,000 square feet of space, the 2-story center will offer radiation oncology, advanced diagnostic imaging, infusion services, supportive care and medical office space.
Schematic design will take 6 to 8 months, and construction could begin late next year, pending further approval and funding by the hospital board.
David Verinder, president and CEO of Sarasota Memorial Health Care System, said the projects represent far more than bricks and mortar. Cancer diagnoses are rising locally and nationally, and the need for Sarasota Memorial outpatient oncology services is expected to grow significantly.
Last year, the SMH cancer team held 176 multidisciplinary cancer conferences, during which physician specialists collaboratively reviewed more than 1,300 patient cases to ensure each received optimal treatment plans specific to their cancer.
“Cancer care is far more than facilities, treatments and technology,” Verinder said. “It takes tremendous coordination and collaboration across multiple subspecialties and disciplines to accurately diagnose and develop targeted treatments. That’s where a comprehensive cancer center like Sarasota Memorial’s Jellison Cancer Institute can really make a difference.”
About Sarasota Memorial Health Care System
Led by the 9-member, publicly elected Sarasota County Public Hospital Board, Sarasota Memorial is a regional medical center offering Southwest Florida’s greatest breadth and depth of care, with more than 1 million patient visits per year. Sarasota Memorial’s 839-bed, acute-care hospital has been recognized consistently as one of the nation’s best, with superior patient outcomes and a complete continuum of outpatient services. In the past several years, the Hospital Board has invested more than $250 million in the developing Cancer Institute to provide the community it serves with access to advanced, comprehensive cancer care.
About the Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute at Sarasota Memorial
Sarasota Memorial's Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute is committed to providing our community and visitors with convenient access to comprehensive, coordinated and collaborative cancer care. Cancer Institute services cover the entire continuum of oncology care — from prevention, screening and diagnosis to treatment, clinical trials, and lifetime follow-up, survivorship care and support. At the heart of the program is the Cancer Institute's 8-story oncology tower, set to open in Fall 2021 on the hospital's main campus. Along with our new Radiation Oncology Center off University Parkway, the tower is part of the institute’s expanding center of excellence designed to offer world-class cancer care close to home for area residents.