Tidewell Care Center at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center is the area’s first hospital-based hospice inpatient unit. The Care Center is located on the hospital’s third floor and features six private rooms. It is staffed 24/7 by experienced Tidewell Hospice clinicians.

Criteria for admission is the same as it is for Tidewell’s seven hospice houses. Patients in need of continuous symptom control can be admitted to the Care Center for around-the-clock care while their condition is stabilized. When those symptoms are brought under control and patients and their family members feel comfortable making the transition, they can return to where most patients really want to be - their own home.

The creation of the Tidewell Care Center provides a convenient alternative for hospice patients in the Lakewood Ranch area who previously had to transfer to Ellenton or Sarasota in order to receive inpatient care. Patients already in the hospital will benefit from the continuity of being able to stay in place, and their primary physician can continue to make rounds and direct the plan of care.

General inpatient (acute care), interim care (residential) and respite (maximum five-day stay) are offered. Although hospital personnel won’t provide any patient care at this time, the hospital provides dietary services, linens, housekeeping and other ancillary equipment and services such as lab work.

Patients entering the hospital are brought directly to the Tidewell Care Center, with no need to utilize hospital admissions. Family members are welcome around the clock and may enter with the patient or utilize the main hospital entrance. In the evening, visitors can use the emergency room entrance to access the hospital.

Tidewell’s goal is to help people who choose its care make the most of every day, with dignity and quality. The Tidewell Care Center gives Lakewood Ranch-area residents a local option. Instead of time spent traveling to a more distant location, family members can spend time in a much more memorable way with their loved one.