New Building, Same Mission

From CEO Mike Ward at the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony-

At our groundbreaking not quite two years ago, the CEO of Pines, Mike Ward, talked about the vision of our founders from the Kiwanis Club and their mission – to take care of those who can no longer care for themselves. Now, 73 years later, that mission stands strong today with the support of our community & from donors like the Esther & Harold Mertz Foundation. As most of you know, our campus started 73 years ago with a few cottages housing only six elderly citizens. As the mission has grown, so has the Pines of Sarasota campus. This latest transformation – this skilled nursing building – is replacing three older buildings along with our kitchen & laundry operations, our hair salon, maintenance, and central supply operations, bringing everything together into one new building.

Residents and patients at Pines of Sarasota will benefit from expanded outpatient and inpatient therapy gyms carefully planned with state-of-the-art equipment. There is a beautiful new hair salon and a one-of-a-kind theater equipped with a hearing loop system for the hearing impaired. Residents can visit with family & friends and feel the sunshine and fresh air in the new outdoor courtyard. The spacious new dining room overlooks a beautiful pond, and garden atrium areas let in sunlight. New private rooms each have their own bathroom and shower. Memory care residents will enjoy an indoor activity area that creates the feeling that you are outside, with plants, trees, and the sound of being outdoors, under a full-length skylight so that residents can our beautiful blue Florida skies – all while located in a safe & climate-controlled environment. The activity area is unique in healthcare for dementia care programming.

The entire building is designed to fit perfectly with our existing building to provide the best quality of life possible for our short-term patients and our long-term residents.

At the groundbreaking, Mike Ward talked about how excited we were to start on this journey – this transformation of our campus. Today, we are all even more excited about how it will be used to serve our residents and our community continuing our mission well into the future. Pines is so grateful for our Board of Directors, the senior leadership staff who have worked so hard, & the contractors & architects for their hard work. Finally, a special thank you to Janet and the Pines Foundation, who partnered with the Esther & Harold Mertz Foundation – a partnership where their vision connected to our very important mission to serve seniors in our community.

This new replacement building is for all residents and the new services will benefit both current and future residents in support of our Mission, which continues to provide for those who can no longer provide for themselves. This is what Pines is all about and we are all honored to be a part of this wonderful organization & part of this latest transformation of Pines of Sarasota.