Sarasota Memorial and Venice Regional Hospitals receive approval to built in Venice
Contact Christopher at cbrantley@mysuncoast.comMay 9, 2018
VENICE, FL (WWSB) - After $30 million dollars in upgrades to Venice Regional Bayfront Health Hospital, CEO Bob Moore is ready for a new building. "It's like remodeling an old house vs building new. You get into it and it costs you more and more and more to bring it up to today's standards."
Venice Regional owns land at Jacaranda Boulevard and Venice Avenue. They want to build an acute care hospital there… leaving only an Emergency Room on the Island of Venice.
"It's just going to be a more organized facility. If we knew what we knew today, 67 years ago, this hospital would look a lot different when it was built," Moore said.
Not far down the road and one interstate exit away, Sarasota Memorial wants to build a hospital on Laurel Road. "This hospital is a very large hospital, but it is very full right now." CEO David Verinder says the main campus is getting cramped… plus, many of SMH's patients live in south county. "We have patients that are driving 45 minutes, an hour and a half from south county and other parts even further south from that to come up to this hospital."
Florida's Agency for Healthcare Administration, or AHCA, decides where hospitals can be built. Both hospitals requested and originally received approval to build their new facilities. But, a legal battle ensued over who should be allowed to build… just this week an administrative judge gave both hospitals the green light.
"I think it will raise the quality of care in the community by having competition. We have people who choose us, we have people who choose Sarasota Memorial now," said Moore.
The sense of competition between both hospitals may only just be getting started.
"I have no problem with them having a hospital an exit away. I welcome it because I think that makes everyone just that much better," Verinder said.
AHCA does have to give final approval although both CEO's feel confident AHCA will give it, since the agency has given the approval in the past.
Ali H. Johnston, MBA in Real Estate
REALTOR®, Lic. Broker #BK3284964
West Villages Realty LLC
19503 S West Villages Pkwy
Stes A2 & A11 (by Appt)
Venice, Florida 34293
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