Don't let mistruths spread about SMH distract from hospital board's real issues

The disturbing and destructive political climate that seems to have become the norm has increasingly invaded our local politics, including the races for the four seats that are up for election on the Sarasota County Public Hospital Board. I am a candidate for one of those seats, but I’m writing today as both the current chair of the board and a longtime Sarasota resident who knows how important this extraordinary and well-respected hospital is to this community.

The impact of the politically motivated lies being told about our hospital reach far beyond this election, and as a citizen and board chair, I can’t just stand by and watch it happen. These misstatements and lies are designed to undermine your faith in one of the best hospitals in the country, and one of this community’s most valuable resources, and the lasting impact of that could be generational.

These statements have been a true red-herring for this election season and are not grounded in either reality or the well-being of the community or the Sarasota Memorial Health Care System. Instead of encouraging our community to focus on what is important, which is making sure we have the right people in place to make the best decisions for our hospital so that we can protect this elite and valuable asset for this community, there is constant noise about divisive issues to create confusion so that no one knows why or what to believe. So I’m here to set the record straight.

Two candidates have claimed that you need them on the board to protect children from “sex change” operations, and cited me as saying “yes” to this surgery. Fact: This surgery has never been done at Sarasota Memorial, and it’s not anything that anyone has ever considered doing at Sarasota Memorial. I am personally opposed to surgeries of this kind for minors. As a board member, I’ve advocated for enhanced resources for safe pediatric care, including adding pediatric waiting areas to all of our emergency rooms.  

This lie follows on the heels of other theories and untruths like the idea that I, or any member of the board or administration, are secretly pushing for privatization of Sarasota Memorial. Fact: We have an incredible asset in our community that consistently wins national recognition for the excellent care for our patients and employees. Privatization would not be in the best interest for our community and therefore I would not support this. As recently as the board meeting last month, every board member confirmed their support of keeping SMH public, and our administration has provided long-standing efforts to protect this public asset.

The same people pushing these lies also continue to ask you not to believe the comprehensive review about SMH’s response to COVID, and they are claiming that we required employees to get COVID vaccines. Fact: Board minutes confirm that that the board strongly opposed a requirement that took away employees’ freedom to choose whether to get vaccinated or not, and our COVID report shows that, despite tragic losses, SMH served the community well during unprecedented times.

As the board chair, I believe our community needs to focus on what is important for a great healthcare system to continue to be great.  We need to make sure we are able to continue to be the best place to be a patient, the best place to work, and the best place to practice medicine.  To do this, I believe people need to focus on facts and be able to make long term strategic plans and fiscally wise decisions. This election should not be focused on political nonsense, but rather on what is really important to our community and the priorities for this hospital. As a responsible board member, I believe the priorities for our hospital are the following:  

1. Sarasota County is growing at an unprecedented rate, which means that we as a community hospital need to also grow to properly service the community’s healthcare needs. Our range and capacity of healthcare services offered to meet this growing and diverse population will need to be addressed.  This will include adding new specialties, expanding existing facilities, as well as possibly opening new clinics.  While doing this, we will need to simultaneously maintain the excellent level of care that our community deserves. That’s no small task — but our board has shown that with focus on stewardship and collaboration with our community, we can meet that challenge, with new hospitals, specialty services and a thriving and growing staff.
2. With growth and expansion being a priority, we also need to be able to attract excellent staff while retaining our current providers. We can do this by fostering a positive work environment in which our staff is proud to work, and where they are continuously recognized and applauded for their hard work. We need to continue to invest in education and training to help staff stay current with the latest medical advancements to allow them to grow their careers. It is imperative that we maintain our position as the employer of choice in Sarasota County to retain the top talent and provide the best medical care to our community. The board is ultimately responsible for the quality of care provided, and our history of mutual respect and close cooperation with our medical and other care staff has led to Sarasota Memorial being one of only a handful of hospitals that has continuously achieved 5-star status for quality, 5-time Magnet designation for nursing excellence, and multiple other awards and recognitions. A board, and a community, that is constantly being distracted and whipsawed by baseless allegations made by folks who do not have any appreciation for the value of the hospital, cannot sustain this level of excellence.
3. The board needs to ensure that we continue to be good stewards of our community tax dollars by consistently improving the quality of care while growing our services to serve our burgeoning population. This will allow us to continue to improve our patient outcomes and community health.  We will need to regularly evaluate where we are and look at emerging trends so that we can continue to progress as an excellent healthcare system. To be the best, you have to constantly assess and reevaluate the current situation. 

In the years I’ve been on the board, and particularly in my year as board chair, I have been impressed with the ability of my fellow board members to stay above the fray, keep their eye on the complex and serious work at hand, and continue to achieve this level of excellence — in both delivering quality and providing sound fiscal stewardship that serves Sarasota’s growing needs.  I am deeply concerned that the distractions that have consumed the campaigns of outsiders could derail the thoughtful and careful leadership that has so benefited this community.

— Sarah Lodge, chair of the Sarasota County Hospital Board and has served on the board since May 2020