CenterPlace Health, a federally qualified health center that provides low-cost health care, and Senior Friendship Centers have formed a strategic alliance to provide medical, dental, and mental/behavioral health care to people in need in Sarasota County.

As a result of the partnership, which is scheduled take effect on Jan. 1, 2021, Senior Friendship Centers will lease its health clinics in Sarasota and Venice to CenterPlace Health, bringing the number of CenterPlace Health clinics in the area to five. These new clinics will help relieve some of the pressure at CenterPlace Health's North Port Help Center, as well as help address unmet needs in mid- and South Sarasota County, especially in places that are considered health professional shortage areas (HPSAs). Many of the volunteer physicians and paid staff who work at Senior Friendship Centers’ existing clinics will have the opportunity to continue providing services at CenterPlace Health.