Sarasota Memorial Hospital celebrated its 95th anniversary on Monday, Nov. 2. SMH opened its doors in the fall of 1925 after local residents raised $40,000 to build the 32-bed hospital, which replaced a six-bed facility that was being used to care for tuberculosis and emergency patients. Today, SMH is comprised of a network of outpatient and urgent care centers, a physician practice group, a skilled nursing and rehab center, a behavioral health hospital, and plans under way to open a new hospital in Venice. With 7,000 staff, it’s also one of the region’s largest employers.

SMH leadership observed the milestone in a socially distanced manner, sharing a 3D cake of the original 1925 hospital and historical slideshow for staff and volunteers. Leaders also took a commemorative photo with Clara Rock, the longest-serving nurse still providing patient care at Sarasota Memorial (44-and-a-half years and counting), and Jennifer Nguyen, one of its newest volunteers, who joined SMH in March 2020 in the midst of the pandemic.