Hospital board approves funding for behavioral health pavilion

SARASOTA — The Sarasota County Public Hospital Board approved a $65 million plan to replace its aging behavioral health hospital with a new pavilion that centralizes and enhances care to people affected by mental and behavioral health challenges.

Design on the pavilion is expected to begin this year, according to a press release. Preliminary plans call for the new 82-bed, 95,000-square-foot Behavioral Health Pavilion to be built on the northeast corner of the hospital’s main campus, at the corner of Osprey Avenue and Hawthorne Street.