Sarasota Memorial Health Care - Circles of Care Network

What is it?

What began as a one-night clinic aimed at the indigent, uninsured, and underinsured has grown into a network of hospital and community providers working together to break down barriers to ensure that all residents have equal access to primary, specialty, and surgical care services, regardless of their ability to pay.

This comprehensive health care safety network provides primary/preventative care, specialty care, and surgical care to patients who otherwise could not afford the medical care they need. The Circles of Care program began as a “Holiday Clinic” in 1992, when Sarasota Memorial Hospital and its volunteer doctors and nurses hosted a one-night clinic to provide medical services to the local indigent, uninsured, and medically underserved.

Since then, it has grown into:

• A hospital-based Community Medical Clinic operating every weekday to provide specialty and surgical care to low-income, uninsured, and underinsured residents of Sarasota County.
• Community partnerships with the local health department and other local not-for profit medical providers to ensure that residents have access to full-service primary and preventative care, including pediatric, dental, and podiatry care, and discounted prescription drugs.
• Sarasota Memorial’s Charter Health Plan, a low-cost insurance plan that provides coverage to employees of uninsured small businesses.

In 2012, as health reform challenged all safety net providers, Sarasota Memorial and its community partners – the Senior Friendship Centers and Sarasota County Health Department – gained a valuable new partner. A local community nonprofit, The Patterson Foundation is providing financial resources to help strengthen and build a sustainable system of care.

Who is it for?

Low-income, uninsured, and underinsured residents of Sarasota County (though any business with two or more employees can take advantage of the low rates offered by Sarasota Memorial’s Charter Health Plan).

Why do they do it?

The goal is to ensure that all residents of Sarasota have access to the care they need, when they need it. All the programs that make up Sarasota’s system of care evolved from needs assessments and gaps in service observed by staff at the Community Medical Clinic and other community partners. Sarasota Memorial Hospital helped established a comprehensive network of medical care with the help of nearly 250 local physicians, the health department, and other community organizations and clinics. The network has evolved over the years to meet the changing needs of the community it serves.

Impact

Sarasota Memorial delivers nearly 90 percent of the Medicare/Medicaid hospital care in the county and more than half of the self-pay/uninsured care delivered in Sarasota County. With the economic downturn and growth in unemployment, more people than ever are turning to the Community Medical Clinic for essential medical care. In recent years, the clinic experienced a 52 percent increase in patient volumes, from 4,086 in 2007 to 6,215 in 2011. Volumes have remained high, but dropped slightly to 6,048 in 2012.

Advice to others

• Do not assume that you automatically know what is right for the community. Make sure your organization’s needs assessment penetrates the heart of the community and uncovers residents’ often unspoken issues and needs.
• Delegate whenever possible so that other organizations and individuals take ownership and have a vested interest in the success of community programs.
• Be prepared for opposition and persevere. If it’s the right thing to do for the community and it makes sense, just do it. Do not let doubters (you will have them at all levels) stop progress from being made.
• Make sure you appoint program coordinators willing to work long hours and assume the brunt of responsibility for an extended period of time. It often takes two years of exhausting legwork and mental stamina to maneuver around obstacles before beginning to achieve realistic goals. 

Contact: Kim Savage
Senior Communications Editor
Telephone: 941-917-6271
E-mail: kim-savage@smh.com