Respiratory Therapist

Sarasota Memorial offers new leadless pacemaker therapy for select heart failure patients. Thursday, October 1, 2026 SARASOTA, Fla. (Oct. 1, 2026) - Sarasota Memorial Hospital is the first hospital in the Tampa Bay region offering a new leadless pacing option for certain heart failure patients who are unable to benefit from traditional cardiac resynchronization therapy. On Wednesday, Sarasota Memorial electrophysiologists Brian Betensky, MD, and Robert Eckart, DO, successfully implanted EBR System's WiSE left ventricular endocardial pacing system in two patients at SMH-Sarasota. The novel, FDA-approved leadless pacing system is implanted inside the heart's left ventricle as part of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), which helps the heart's ventricles beat in sync and pump more effectively. Unlike traditional CRT systems that rely on a lead placed in the coronary vein outside the left ventricle, the WiSE system uses a battery and ultrasound transmitter inserted beneath the skin of the chest, along with a tiny electrode - about the size of a grain of rice - implanted inside the left ventricle. The electrode converts ultrasound energy into electrical stimulation, coordinating left ventricular pacing with pacing delivered by the patient's companion device, to help the heart beat in a more coordinated and efficient way. "This technology gives us a different way to deliver cardiac resynchronization," said Dr. Eckart. "By placing a small electrode inside the left ventricle, we can synchronize the heart's contractions and improve cardiac performance without a traditional coronary sinus lead." The WiSE system is approved for certain adults age 22 and older who are indicated for CRT and have, or are eligible for, an implanted right ventricular pacing system. Eligible patients include those whose previous coronary sinus lead implantation was unsuccessful or whose implanted left ventricular lead is no longer operational or advisable due to contraindications. "This opens up an expanded treatment platform for heart failure patients who may have exhausted conventional options," said Dr. Betensky. "For patients who have continued to struggle despite other therapies, WiSE gives us another way to support heart function, reduce symptoms and potentially improve their quality of life." Patients who qualify receive the WiSE therapy as a scheduled outpatient procedure and typically are discharged from the hospital within 24 hours. It is currently available at about 30 centers nationwide, with Sarasota Memorial among just four hospitals in Florida offering the technology. About Sarasota Memorial Health Care System. Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is a regional medical center offering Southwest Florida's greatest breadth and depth of care, with about 2,500 physicians and advanced practice providers, 11,000 employees and 2 million patient visits a year across its network of care. Sarasota County's largest employer, the community-owned health system includes two full-service hospitals in Sarasota and Venice (and third under construction in North Port), freestanding ERs in North Port and Lakewood Ranch, a rehabilitation hospital, skilled nursing facility and comprehensive network of outpatient centers, urgent care clinics and SMH First Physicians Group primary and specialty care practices. Founded in 1925, SMH's flagship Sarasota campus also is home to the Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute, Cornell Behavioral Health Pavilion and Kolschowsky Research and Education Institute. Both Sarasota Memorial Hospital-Sarasota and Sarasota Memorial Hospital-Venice have earned the highest 5-Star quality ratings from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). SMH-Sarasota is the only Florida hospital - and one of just 11 in the nation - to earn a perfect 5-Star rating from CMS every year since the federal rating program began in 2016.

Sarasota Memorial Health Care System buys 120 acres at I-75 and SR 64, and the corridor around it is expanding fast. Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is buying roughly 120 acres [...] September 25, 2026 Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is buying roughly 120 acres of interchange land at the southeast corner of I-75 and State Road 64 in Manatee County. The Sarasota County Public Hospital Board approved the purchase on September 22. The deal is valued at nearly $60 million, which puts the land right around $500,000 per acre. The purchase is contingent on rezoning and development agreements with Manatee County. Sarasota Memorial also received approval in July to acquire an adjacent 10-acre parcel with direct SR 64 frontage for $8.4 million. The first phase of a future campus would be a freestanding emergency department on that 10-acre site, with physician offices, imaging, diagnostics, and eventually a full-service hospital campus to follow on the larger tract. Sarasota Memorial has done this before. It bought its Laurel Road site in 2005 and opened Sarasota Memorial Hospital-Venice there in 2021. Buying interchange land years ahead of demand is how the system operates. The purchase is a headline, but it is really a component of something bigger happening along SR 64. Drive east from I-75 for eight to ten miles and you are looking at the most intense expansion Mhsappraisal has seen in a Southwest Florida market. Every tract along the corridor is in motion. New projects, active construction, land being cleared, or sites being staked out. There is no stretch of that road that is simply sitting. The road itself is being rebuilt at the same time, with roundabouts and widening projects underway. Infrastructure and development are moving in parallel rather than in sequence, which tells you how much pressure is behind it. That pressure comes from two directions at once. Bradenton is pushing east. Lakewood Ranch is pushing north. SR 64 is where they meet, and the result looks less like a corridor filling in and more like an entire zip code being built up at one time. Half a million dollars an acre for raw interchange land is a strong comp for the SR 64 corridor. Looking for more commercial analysis or custom expertise applied to your own scenario? Contact its team to get started today! Fields marked with an * are required

Sarasota Memorial moving forward with new outpatient cancer center in Venice. Thursday, September 24, 2026 VENICE, Fla. (Sept. 24, 2026) - Just months after opening the new Milman-Kover Cancer Pavilion on its flagship Sarasota campus, Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is moving forward with plans for a new outpatient cancer center in Venice, expanding access to advanced cancer care for patients throughout south Sarasota County and surrounding communities. The Venice center represents the next phase in the continued expansion of Sarasota Memorial's Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute, which SMH launched in 2020 to give cancer patients, caregivers and medical providers greater access to the latest treatments, technologies, clinical trials and supportive services close to home. The cancer center will be located in a new outpatient medical facility that will be constructed on Curry Lane, adjacent to the Sarasota Memorial Hospital-Venice campus. The 5-acre site was acquired by Flagship in January 2025, and Sarasota Memorial is leasing and completing the build-out of the facility to expand a range of outpatient services in Venice, including cancer care and endoscopy services. Together with SMH's existing cancer services, the new cancer center is part of a long-term strategy to provide comprehensive, coordinated cancer care close to home. "Cancer treatment can require frequent appointments with multiple specialists and care teams, sometimes over many months," said Kelli Dancer, vice president of the Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute. "Expanding these services in Venice will make it easier for patients in south Sarasota County and surrounding communities to access comprehensive, coordinated cancer care closer to where they live. It's another important step in our commitment to bring the highest level of cancer care to patients throughout our region." Since opening in 2020, the Jellison Cancer Institute has grown into one of Florida's highest-volume cancer programs, providing thousands of local patients access to multidisciplinary cancer specialists, advanced treatments and technology, clinical research and comprehensive support services. Patient volumes also underscore the need for specialized cancer services in the region. Before SMH established the Jellison Cancer Institute, approximately half of local cancer patients left the community to seek advanced cancer care elsewhere. That figure has since fallen to approximately 30%, and SMH continues to expand services with the goal of allowing even more patients to receive advanced care close to home. "Every patient who can receive high-quality cancer care here rather than traveling hours away is able to spend more time focused on healing and less time traveling for appointments and treatments," Dancer said. "The Venice center is an important step in our commitment to build a comprehensive cancer program that meets the needs of our growing region." As proposed, a radiation oncology center will be built on the first floor. Patients also will have convenient access to infusion services, diagnostic imaging, and integrative and supportive care in one location. The third floor will house the endoscopy center and SMH First Physicians Group's team of gastroenterologists. The second floor will be shelled for future growth. Preliminary site work has already begun. Pending permitting and construction plan approvals, Flagship will begin work on the building shell, with SMH's design/build team completing build-out of the specialized centers in 2028. About the Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute at Sarasota Memorial. The Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute at Sarasota Memorial is a center of excellence that provides advanced cancer care across the entire continuum - from prevention, screening and diagnosis to advanced treatments, clinical trials and survivorship support. The Cancer Institute's world-class facilities include an 8-story oncology inpatient and surgical tower and 7-story outpatient Milman-Kover Cancer Pavilion on the Sarasota campus, an outpatient Radiation Oncology Center on SMH's University Parkway campus and an outpatient cancer center under construction next to SMH-Venice's hospital campus. Learn more at smh.com/cancer. About Sarasota Memorial Health Care System. Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is a regional medical center offering Southwest Florida's greatest breadth and depth of care, with about 2,500 physicians and advanced practice providers, 11,000 employees and 2 million patient visits a year across its network of care. Sarasota County's largest employer, the community-owned health system includes two full-service hospitals in Sarasota and Venice (and third under construction in North Port), freestanding ERs in North Port and Lakewood Ranch, a rehabilitation hospital, skilled nursing facility and comprehensive network of outpatient centers, urgent care clinics and First Physician Group primary and specialty care practices. Founded in 1925, SMH's flagship Sarasota campus also is home to the Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute, Cornell Behavioral Health Pavilion and Kolschowsky Research and Education Institute. Both Sarasota Memorial Hospital-Sarasota and Sarasota Memorial Hospital-Venice have earned the highest 5-Star quality ratings from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The SMH-Sarasota is the only Florida hospital - and one of just 11 in the nation - to earn a perfect 5-Star rating from CMS every year since the federal rating program began in 2016.