ShorePoint Health Punta Gorda Celebrates 75 Years of Service

8/17/2022

Seventy-five years ago, on August 17, 1947, ShorePoint Health Punta Gorda first opened its doors. The hospital has an extensive history in the City of Punta Gorda. Although the hospital has grown and changed over the years with Punta Gorda, two things have always remained a constant with the hospital’s principles - quality care and community involvement.

“Connecting with patients and our community represents the true history of this hospital,” said Justin Bryant, Interim Chief Administrative Officer for ShorePoint Health Punta Gorda. “This milestone represents not only the accomplishments we have made in patient care, but the relationship our doctors, nurses and staff have with the people of our beautiful town and the surrounding communities.”

Originally named Charlotte Hospital, the 16-bed facility was built for $80,000 thanks to community assisted fundraising and donations. Back when ideas for the hospital began, Punta Gorda was a tiny community of about 1,800. The closest facilities for someone who needed hospitalization were Arcadia, Fort Myers, or Tampa. Leaders of the community worked to gather support and raise funds. Eventually, a stock company was formed, and shares were sold for $100 each, which was successful enough to get construction going in 1945. When that money ran out, the community rallied together to stage fundraising events such as community-wide fish frys, cake sales, teas, breakfasts, dinners, and even selling slices of watermelon.

In 1949, the volunteer arm of the hospital was organized. Volunteers raised funds to pay for the hospital’s needs such as air conditioning, and provided manpower for tasks such as stitching together linens, patient gowns, surgical packs, and bedpan covers. Additionally to fundraising and sewing, volunteers have always manned the front desk, something you will still see today in both the Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte hospitals.

Through the decades, ShorePoint Health Punta Gorda has grown and developed beyond anything its creators could have imagined. Punta Gorda and its sister hospital in Port Charlotte are hospitals with a history of high quality care and state-of-the art service lines. In Orthopedics, ShorePoint Health Punta Gorda was named a Blue Distinction Center for knee/hip joint replacement from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida. It was also named one of the nation’s top performers on key quality measures by the Joint Commission, the leading accreditor of healthcare organizations in America. The Bariatric Surgery Program at Punta Gorda has helped hundreds of patients with weight loss and overall health. The program utilizes a wide variety of methods throughout the surgical journey, including dietary counseling, behavior modification, exercise and support groups. ShorePoint Health’s Bariatric Program does more than help reduce weight - it changes lives.

Along with ensuring quality care, ShorePoint Health has continuously been committed to the community. In 2006, the hospital (then known as Charlotte Regional) opened a $10,000 endowment in the name of hospital pioneer Leo Wotitzky to Edison Community College, now Florida SouthWestern State College, in Punta Gorda. In 2011, the hospital began offering free physicals to Charlotte High School athletes and donated an automated external defibrillator to Charlotte County’s Carmalita Athletic Park. Also in 2011, the hospital partnered with Team Punta Gorda’s bicycle program, which loans bicycles free of charge to residents and visitors alike.

In 2021, ShorePoint Health Punta Gorda performed 1,900 surgeries, saw 16,900 ER visits and 48,000 outpatient visits. A total community investment of $96.2 million dollars came in the form of capital investments, taxes, charity care and donations.

ShorePoint Health Punta Gorda is a hospital rich in history. It has survived economic turmoil, natural disasters, pandemics, and the continuous evolution of healthcare. The hospital grew from 16 beds to over 200 beds. It is a hospital that started as a dream of the leaders and community of Punta Gorda, whose relentless fundraising and volunteering made the dream a reality. ShorePoint Health Punta Gorda is a hospital that now boasts a substantial staff of highly-skilled doctors, nurses and technicians. It is a hospital that evolved from desperately needing community support to stay alive, to an economic engine that strives to give back to that same community.

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