Ribbon-cutting ceremony held for new healthcare center in North Port

Members of the North Port Area Chamber of Commerce celebrated the grand opening of ShorePoint Medical's new office in the Cocoplum Village Shops Tuesday afternoon.

It specializes in gastroenterology, cardio-vascular health, and women's health.

North Port Economic Development Director Vinnie Mascarenhas said it's a big step in the right direction.

"For many years, for decades, residents in North Port would have no access to healthcare. They would have to leave the city and drive a longways," she said.

However, city officials told North Port Community Correspondent Victoria Scott that the need for more maternity care is only growing.

"We have 18,000 school-aged children, and about five to 6,000 of those are under the age of five," Mascarenhas said. "We are really screaming for that early side of life as far as birthing a young child, caring for a young child, early learning development, across that spectrum."

It's something city leaders say they hope will happen soon.

"This is the health of our community, of our residents," Mascarenhas told Scott.

There are other healthcare centers in the works, too.

"In 2025 Sarasota Memorial Hospital, the largest employer in Sarasota County, is breaking ground simultaneously in Wellen Park and at Sumter and I-75," Mascarenhas said. "HCA Florida Englewood has already broken ground and is constructing emergency care in Wellen Park.”