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ShorePoint Health Venice is closing next month.
Its focus will turn to outpatient services as the ambulatory campus, HealthPark, will continue operating. A news release says demand for these services has continued growing. The hospital will close Sept. 22.
ShorePoint, previously known as Venice Regional Bayfront Health, announced a major renovation in November 2020 after stepping back from building a completely new hospital building. Renovations began last fall with the second phase of the project starting earlier this year.
The press release outlines several factors that led to the decision to shutter, with the most notable citing the opening of a new hospital within five miles, which led to a significant decline in patients visiting for inpatient care, officials say. ShorePoint Health Venice opposed the move, pointing to state health planning data that showed there wasn’t a need for more inpatient beds in the area.
Although the release doesn’t name the specific hospital — and a request for comment wasn’t returned by time of publication — Sarasota Memorial Hospital opened a 110-bed campus last November in Venice, roughly five miles from ShorePoint’s campus.
ShorePoint’s release also points to rising labor costs and staffing challenges.
“ShorePoint Venice employees have provided outstanding care to Venice residents throughout the years, and we are extremely grateful for their dedication and compassion,” ShorePoint Venice CEO Kelly Enriquez says in the release. “Retaining our valued team members is our top priority during this transition.”
As the hospital comes to a close, emergency services will shut down at 7 a.m. Aug. 29. Other services will follow in a phased strategy.
The closure comes after a repeal of a large part of the certificate of need program, eliminating a long application step previously required for building a new hospital. And that leads to a question: whether the area will see more closures due to an influx of new hospitals.
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