Recognition comes in Becker’s Hospital Review 2023 list
Sarasota Memorial Health Care System has earned national recognition “for its work in providing leading-edge cancer research and care,” the health care system has announced.
On Sept. 29, Sarasota Memorial’s “Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute was named in Becker’s Hospital Review 2023 list of 100 Hospitals and Health Systems With Great Oncology Programs,” a news release notes. “The healthcare industry trade publication’s annual list recognizes hospitals and health systems that offer leading-edge clinical trials and pioneer research discoveries that expand access to care and enhance patient outcomes,” the release explains.
In Sarasota Memorial’s spotlight, Becker’s noted that, over the past several years, Sarasota Memorial (SMH) “has invested more than half a billion dollars into state-of-the-art cancer institute facilities,” the release says. SMH opened its first two Jellison Cancer Institute facilities at the height of the pandemic, the release points out: the health system’s first radiation oncology center, in 2020; and an eight-story, dedicated inpatient and surgical oncology tower in 2021.
“In November, the health system plans to break ground on a new cancer pavilion on the Sarasota campus,” the release adds. “That facility, which will be connected via skybridge to the oncology tower, will provide a full complement of outpatient services,” including a new breast health center; outpatient surgery; radiation oncology; infusion services; diagnostic imaging; medical, surgical, and radiation oncology physician clinics; and integrative and supportive care.
The health system also has “invested significant resources in research and graduate medical education, tripling the size of those programs and attracting top tier cancer specialists and researchers to the hospital and community,” the release notes. “Today, the Jellison Cancer Institute team includes more than 80 employed and community-based physicians committed to raising awareness” and educating members of the public about prevention, care navigation and support.
The release adds that Sarasota Memorial CEO David Verinder said the Becker’s recognition “is a testament to the teamwork and dedication of a collaborative team of physicians and cancer specialists that grows larger every year. In recent years, SMH has recruited fellowship-trained specialists and surgeons to expand its thyroid/parathyroid, gastrointestinal, colorectal, lung and breast cancer teams.”
“We have an outstanding team of physicians and specialists, clinicians, nurses, support staff and community partners working collaboratively, to coordinate care across the full continuum,” Verinder pointed out in the release. “A key component in establishing our program was building upon our existing medical expertise, investing in research and education and building a world-class oncology cancer center that brings leading cancer specialists and researchers to our community.”
Dr. Richard Brown, chief medical director for the Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute, noted in the release that caring for cancer patients involves much more than facilities and technology. “It means understanding the importance of each patient’s medical and psychosocial needs and meeting those needs close to home.”
“I am proud of everything the Cancer Institute and our team has accomplished to date, and look forward to its continued evolution,” Brown said in the release.
The Becker’s Hospital Review editorial team selected hospitals for inclusion on the list on the basis of recognition that “organizations have received from reputable rating agencies,” including U.S. News & World Report, the National Cancer Institute and the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer, the release adds. Organizations can be nominated, but they cannot pay for inclusion on this list, the release points out.
The full list features individual profiles of all hospitals and health systems on the list; it may be read at https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/lists/100-hospitals-and-health-systems-with-great-oncology-programs-2023.html
“Among many other awards, SMH earned multiple rankings and ratings from U.S. News & World Report this year,” the release notes.