Video screenshot courtesy SMH: Medical staff care for COVID-19 patients.

The Sarasota County Public Hospital Board doesn’t generate the same media attention as other elected bodies. But a meeting today could draw a crowded house as a comparative analysis on COVID-19 response comes up for discussion.

Tramm Hudson, Board chairman, held a meeting alongside Dr. James Fiorica in advance of the meeting and delivered pushback against accusations from far-right activists. Hudson stressed that in the month since a report was first made public, response has been overwhelmingly positive, but critics have made a disproprotionate amount of noise.

“Some groups are using the platform for advancing their agenda for whatever political reason,” he said.

The report found Sarasota Memorial Health Care System had mortality rates 24% lower than average compared to other hospitals in the state and nation over three years of pandemic conditions. Data also showed 91% of those hospitalized at SMH with COVID-19 survived, and officials stressed 70% of those in the Sarasota area who had to be admitted with COVID-19 went to SMH facilities.

Still, the rise of “medical freedom” activists since the start of the pandemic has created a groundswell of criticism of the hospital. Some of that has been from those angry the hospital held to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines with treatment and only allowed use of ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine and other alternative treatments for COVID-19 with doctors’ orders and after a waiver was signed. Studies have shown those treatments ineffective and even harmful for patients, but the medications, developed for other ailments, found followings online.

Internet media outlets like the Epoch Times have espoused those medications and criticized SMH in particular for not allowing greater access. Mike Flynn, a far right figure who once worked as former President Donald Trump’s National Security Advisor and now lives in South Sarasota County, has joined in criticism of the hospital. He has called for the public hospital to be privatized.

“What a sad state of affairs and this Sarasota, FL County Memorial Hospital board chairman’s explanation sounds more like an excuse and he clearly has no idea what is in his own report,” Flynn wrote on Twitter. “For those in our county, wake up to the issues going on all around us, we’re paying tax dollars to keep something going that should probably be privatized.”

Hudson expressed disappointment and questioned the motives of those using the COVID-19 pandemic to advance largely unrelated issues. He said some of the public input about pandemic response has come from family members who lost loved ones to COVID-19, and the hospital has listened carefully to their concerns. But much of the input comes from people who don’t live in the area and seem to be pushing an agenda unrelated to day-to-day operations at the hospital.

Fiorica, SMH’s chief medical officer, said doctors have received death threats and officials have dealt with a wave of misinformation spread online.

“We’re concerned about these accusations that simply are not accurate,” he said. “The report is clear and the accusations don’t match the report. All these things affect the reputation of our hospital physicians. It’s a distraction.”

Hudson stressed the hospital has other pressing projects that are forward-looking, such as an expansion of a hospital in Venice, the planning of a hospital in North Port and the recent openings of a new cancer institute and mental health facilities.

“Death threats to our staff and doctors, frankly it’s reprehensible,” Hudson said. “I think the people in Sarasota understand that what the hospital did during COVID-19 was provide the best care we could.”

The hospital board meets today at 2 p.m.

Video screenshot courtesy SMH: Medical staff care for COVID-19 patients.