By Dan Hounsell

Sarasota Memorial Health Care System cleared space for an 82-bed Behavioral Health Pavilion at its main campus recently by demolishing an outdated structure on its campus. The 95,000-square-foot facility replaces Bayside East, a 1960s-vintage structure that housed the administrative offices and outpatient services for Sarasota Memorial’s behavioral health program, according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. The existing behavioral health facility will remain open until the new facility is complete, while outpatient programs have been relocated temporarily. 

Terry Cassidy, executive director of Behavioral Health Services for Sarasota Memorial Healthcare System, said the new facility is going to have a behavior health design. That means sound, color and natural light all will be geared towards serenity.

The current 61-bed facility was built as a skilled nursing facility and converted to behavioral health use. The hospital can only use 40-45 of the available beds because many of the rooms are doubles and triples. Most of the rooms in the new hospital will be designed as single-patient rooms.