The exhausting schedule eventually led Palileo to seek an academic position in teaching and research-and ultimately, to private practice here in Sarasota.

Palileo is one of many physicians who have come to Sarasota from major metropolitan areas. They're here for the same reasons most of us are-quality of life, but also because the city has a wealth of resources available to them. And that benefits all our residents.

A recent study by the University of South Florida ranked Sarasota County second in the state (behind Charlotte County) in overall health status. In counties with populations between 50,000 and 399,000, Sarasota was rated "much better than average" in adult mortality and community capacity and resources, and "better than average" in screening prevention and primary care. That puts it higher than similar counties in the Tampa Bay area such as Lee, Pasco, Volusia and Seminole.

Part of our high ranking derives from our supply of medical professionals. More than 1,300 medical doctors practice here. Sarasota has 2,808 licensed practical nurses and more than 6,000 registered nurses. Three hundred twenty-four dentists attend to our teeth, 51 podiatrists care for our feet and 452 pharmacists dole out our prescriptions every day.

Nearly 200 mental health counselors ease our minds; for serious emotional turbulence, 106 psychologists are available. Four licensed marriage and family therapists can help provide solutions to family tumult, and the city is filled with free support groups for every ailment, medical condition or emotional problem imaginable.

Lifestyle remains a major attraction for these professionals. Dr. Stella King, who practices family medicine at Intracoastal Medical Group, grew up in Naples, but received her medical training in New Jersey. After graduating, she and her husband (also a doctor) interviewed along the Southeast coast but chose Sarasota because it offered a place where both she and her husband could practice. She says their group includes most major specialties and affords them more opportunities for personal autonomy than they might receive in a larger city.

"Often, (doctors) in an urban setting may have to go to multiple hospitals," says King. "In Philadelphia, you may have as many as four, five or six hospitals where you have to see patients every day. That can definitely adversely affect your quality of life. Here, a physician only has to deal with two hospitals that are about 20 minutes apart."

In fact, the bi-county area that includes Sarasota and Manatee enjoys the resources of six hospitals, all conveniently spread throughout the region. With 845 beds, downtown's Sarasota Memorial is the second-largest public hospital in Florida. It is among the top 25 hospitals in the United States in the number of open-heart surgeries performed annually and has the second-largest cardiac program in Florida. It was also ranked among the top 100 cardiovascular and stroke hospitals in the country.

The cancer program at Sarasota Memorial has been fully accredited by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer since 1986, and last year began an affiliation with Tampa-based H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center to provide patients greater access to the center's clinical research programs and treatment for complex cancers.

Near the interstate is the 168-bed Doctor's Hospital, where patient surveys reveal a 98-percent satisfaction rate and recent changes have reduced waiting times at the emergency rooms by 75 percent. The hospital recently added an in-house, state-of-the-art MRI that reduces scan times, and residents can check its monthly full-page advertisement in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune for details of health screenings, lectures and support groups, most of them free.

South County is home to Bon-Secours Venice Hospital and Englewood Hospital, and Bradenton has Manatee Memorial Hospital and Blake Medical Center, which has been a "Top 100" hospital for the past five years. Blake was the first hospital in Florida and the third in the nation to receive an OSHA voluntary protection merit award and has one of the top 100 ICU departments in the country.

"The biggest surprise is how large the hospitals and staffs are and how advanced the medical community is, in terms of up-to-date technology. You usually don't find that except in larger urban areas," says Palileo, a Filipino native who had job offers from New Orleans, St. Petersburg and Venice before selecting Sarasota. "I think you can find almost anything you need right here," he says.