Sarasota County Public Hospital Board, at-large Seat 1: Sharon Wetzler DePeters

Age: 77

Current occupation: Advanced Practice Registered Nurse in Cardiovascular Center of Sarasota.

Resident of Sarasota County: 25 years

Why are you running for election?

I have been dedicated to SMH for past 25 years. I’ve seen it grow from good to great and want to be a part of the continued achievements and successes in providing best-in-class health care to our community. 

I’m dedicated to maintaining this level of excellence and to oversee the financial, quality and compliance that direct all future community health care needs. 

As a nurse practitioner credentialed on the SMH medical staff, with my years of experience, I admit, care for and discharge my patients in the hospital with first-hand knowledge and use of the established policies and procedures. I’m able to recognize and, if the need be, recommend any changes or enhancements I may see to benefit the entire hospital and improve patient care. 

In addition, as a community resident for 25 years, my reputation and experiences are well known.

Patients often tell me they made the decision to move here for the excellent healthcare by reputation and further offer comments regarding the excellent treatment and care they always received and can depend on from their physicians and entire staff. 

Have you ever run for public office before? If so, for what office? 

Yes, I ran for and was elected to the hospital board in 2016 and 2020.

What experience and/or special skills do you have that make you a better candidate than your opponents?

As a nurse practitioner since 2000 and registered nurse since 1985, I have focused on and provided excellent safe quality of care to my patients, while serving my country for 21 years in Air Force Nurse Corps operating room and intensive care units; 15 years in ICU at Veterans Medical Center; 10 years at a private Catholic healthcare ICU; five years as traveling nurse in the University of Colorado Hospital ICU; 15 years as associate professor of nursing at State College of Florida assigned at SMH with 12 RN clinical students each semester; and currently for past nine years as nurse practitioner in cardiovascular private practice, seeing patients and as a sub investigator for multiple clinical research studies.

I am the only qualified healthcare provider currently on the board that is credentialed on the medical staff at SMH for the past nine years, with personal and professional experience in the organization’s strategic focus, mission, vision and values, as well as the policies and procedures focused on best practice patient care and access to healthcare. 

I speak their language as an elected representative for the health of the community.

What do you see as the top three or four priorities that the hospital board needs to address? And how should those priorities be addressed?

Continue investing in the health of our community. We have done that with with the opening of Cornell Behavioral Health Pavilion in 2023 and Jellison Cancer Institute in 2021. 

Promote leading-edge clinical research and innovative training opportunities as we prepare to open The Kolschowsky Research and Education Institute in 2025.

Provide healthcare access for the fast-growing south county population with the opening expansion in 2024 of SMH Venice and two new medical campuses currently in planning process now for SMH North Port and Wellen Park. 

Bring new physicians and nurses here to join our Forbes awarded list of best employer and workplace team of providers that provides state of the art HC to the community.

The best way to address those priorities is through board core responsibilities in financial oversight, quality oversight, setting strategic direction / mission oversight, self-assessment and development, management oversight, compliance oversight and advocacy.

On a scale of A to F, with A being excellent, what grade would you give the performance of the current SMH executive team? Why? And what if anything should change in the way SMH leadership operates the SMH system?

I would give it an A. Why change since SMH leadership strives to provide the highest quality healthcare and best patient experience in the nation and has proven to do so. 

The awards and honors include highest five-star rating from Medicare for quality and safety; straight A’s from Leapfrog Group for patient safety; listing among U.S. News’ 50 best hospitals for rehabilitation services and OB/GYN care 2023-2024; high performer awards for procedures and conditions; among U.S. News’ 100 top hospitals, one of 40 top teaching hospitals and 50 top cardiovascular hospitals in 2022; world’s best hospital and greatest workplace for women by Newsweek 2024; Gallup exceptional workplace award 2022; Forbes best in state employers 2023; Forbes America’s best large employer 2024; Becker’s top 150 top places to work in healthcare 2024; designated as a baby friendly hospital in 2023; Level 3 maternity care verification from Joint Commission in 2023; magnet nursing recognition five years in a row; comprehensive stroke center ongoing; and 2023 mitral valve repair reference center award. 

I could continue to go on and on with more awards; however, there isn’t enough paper to cover them since I’ve witnessed over the 25 years that I’ve been affiliated with SMH and have experienced their success. 

And so, to answer the second half of your question: Why would I want to make any changes? The only answer is stay on your successful course and continue to achieve ongoing success with the same leadership performance that has made SMH best-in-class throughout the nation.

The hospital’s property-tax millage rate has been 1.042 mills. In 2023, that generated $81.9 million in property-tax revenue, accounting for 58% of the hospital system’s surplus over its expenses. What is your position on the hospital’s millage rate — should it remain 1.042 mills; should it be reduced or increased?

SMH is the largest employer in Sarasota County with more than 10,000 employees who serve 1.5 million patient visits per year. It reinvests its more than $1 billion of annual revenue into the community. The hospital board decides the millage of the taxes paid for health care services.

For now, I would intend to keep the millage rate the same. There is no need at present for increase or decrease millage according to the statement for quarterly reports, financial audits and Moody credit rating currently. 

A faction of Sarasota County citizens contends the hospital should be sold and privatized. What is your position on this and why?

My position is to keep SMH public. Research finds that with private hospitals:

• Access to hospital beds and programs significantly declines
• A 30% decrease in the number of employed physicians
• More hospital infections and higher mortality rates are documented 
• Higher profits are achieved mainly by reducing staff levels and reducing the proportion of patients with limited health insurance coverage.

Public hospitals tend to be more affordable than private ones. They are much larger than private hospitals so they can accommodate more patients and employ more doctors and nurses.

SMH is not broken, so don’t try to fix it, period!

Why did you/do you support the board's position as outlined below?

(Regarding COVID-19 vaccines, the hospital board recently rejected a motion from Board Member Victor Rohe to add on the SMH website, among other points, the following: “to fully inform the public of the lack of pre-authorization safety data, the evidence of probable risks of these injections and of [Florida Surgeon General] Dr. Joseph Ladapo’s recent call to immediately halt the use of these COVID-19 mRNA injections. … Further, all staff and employees should be instructed, when they interact with patients or other members of the community who make inquiries about the COVID-19 vaccine, to refer those patients or community members to the information available on the SMH website concerning the risks and lack of safety data, rather than simply referring those individuals to local pharmacies that continue to dispense these potentially dangerous injections.”

Instead, the board unanimously voted to support the following: “That the Board will continue to respect and honor every patient’s right to make [his/her] own health care decision within the patient-physician relationship, and using all resources available to them to inform the discussions surrounding those decisions … [T]he Board will continue to endeavor not to invade the physician-patient relationship or mandate treatment regimens for patients to its physicians.”)

My answer is simple: I support scientific findings. The patient ultimately makes an educated decision after gathering all the information and advice from physicians. 

As a healthcare provider and clinical research sub investigator, I follow the science for patient safety and efficacy in research. I respect and honor all healthcare decisions between patient and physician.