Sarasota Memorial Hospital-Venice is on track to nearly double its inpatient capacity from 110 beds to 212 this year, with 68 new private patient suites opening today, and an additional 34 additional private suites scheduled to open this fall. The two upper floors of the Venice hospital’s new five-story Northeast Tower began filling with patients today, with each new floor adding 34 patient suites. The fourth floor will serve as a larger, dedicated unit for cardiac patients, while the fifth floor will be dedicated for the growing volume of orthopedic patients. The expansion is in response to the high demand for medical services in the community. Since opening in November 2021, SMH-Venice has operated at or near full capacity, and often beyond, as a critical health care safety net for people following the closure of ShorePoint Health Venice Hospital and Hurricane Ian in 2022. This fall, an additional 34 private suites will be opening on the second level of the new Northeast Tower to expand care for general medical/surgical patients. The ground level includes space for additional patient care and support services in the future, while the third level is interstitial space for mechanical systems. Construction is also well under way on a 30,000-square-foot expansion of SMH-Venice’s Emergency Care Center (ECC). When complete this fall, the ECC will more than double in size, from 28 rooms to 61, and include enhancements to registration and support areas and increased imaging capabilities. The hospital also increased the number of surgical suites from six to eight in January and created space for future expansion of eight additional operating rooms. To prepare for the expansion, SMH-Venice has been actively recruiting new staff. More than 200 new team members have been hired in recent months, with more staff set to come on board in the weeks and months ahead.