Since Sarasota Memorial formed its Pregnancy Care Team last summer, the OB nurse navigators have helped hundreds of local women, including Alana Draper who gave birth last year after accessing prenatal care with support of the SMH team. SMH’s new Pregnancy and Wellness Center expands upon those services.
February 2, 2026 – Sarasota Memorial Health Care System (SMH) opened a new Pregnancy and Wellness Center today to ensure that every expecting mother, regardless of her medical or financial circumstances, has access to compassionate support and expert prenatal care.
High-risk and underinsured patients, in particular, often struggle to find appropriate medical support during pregnancy. The center is designed to help close the gap, as a nationwide shortage of obstetricians delivering babies deepens, and hospitals increasingly close their labor and delivery (L&D) units due to financial strains and staffing issues. Reports indicate that as many as 86% of rural Florida hospitals have stopped delivering babies, creating “maternity care deserts” and forcing women to travel long distances for care, which increases health risks.
“Access to safe, high quality prenatal care is a fundamental necessity for a healthy community,” said James Fiorica, MD, Chief Medical Officer for Sarasota Memorial Health Care System. “As the region’s safety net hospital and only one delivering babies in Sarasota County, Sarasota Memorial is doubling down on our commitment to help women through this crisis. The opening of this center, along with the support of our Pregnancy Care Team, ensures expecting mothers in our region will have a medical home, regardless of their medical or financial circumstances, and receive the compassionate support and expert care they deserve.”…