Stephen Guffanti, MD
Stephen Guffanti, MD
Hospital Board Candidate
Hospital Board At Large, Seat 2
Stephen Guffanti, MD is a retired Emergency Medicine physician with 50 years of experience.
He is running for the hospital board board in order to:
-
Restore Excellence For All Areas of Care: No Double Standard
-
Put Patients and their Doctors Back In Charge, not Bureaucrats
-
Ensure that Patients Receive Advice, Not Mandates
Dr. Guffanti knows that when loved ones are in the hospital, no one can protect them better than a dedicated doctor on the board who has taken an oath to put patients first.
He understands the need to restore patient-centered hospital care at Sarasota Memorial because of the disturbing departures from medical standards that he witnessed as a patient there himself. (Read his story here). He is one of the leading patient advocates in our community, refusing to accept the lack of care he witnessed as business as usual.
Stephen Guffanti, MD reviewed dozens of medical records for families whose loved ones died at Sarasota Memorial Hospital and became alarmed when he noticed a pattern: the hospital could have done more for them, but it didn't, and they died.
Dr. Guffanti is actively speaking out about the need to review their cases and implement hospital reforms to better protect patients. He decided to run for the hospital board so he can better protect patients, with a seat at the table and the ability to advocate for policy that restores exceptional care to all areas of the hospital.
Dr. Guffanti knows that to best serve patients, Sarasota Memorial must remain public:
"I absolutely support keeping Sarasota Memorial public, because a private hospital allows no public scrutiny. The fundamental problem with hospitals going private is they’re in it for the money. Hospitals should be there for the patients. I will never vote to privatize Sarasota Memorial Hospital."
Endorsed by the Association of American Physicians & Surgeons, Republican Assembly Club of South Sarasota County, and more. Click Here for Endorsement Page.
Patients Deserve a Higher
Standard of Care
Many Sarasota County community members understand Dr. Guffanti's profound dedication to patients by how he reacted when doctors did not come to help his roommate being treated for COVID at Sarasota Memorial.
-
Became his roommate’s patient advocate;
-
Reviewed his chart and identified a potentially life-saving treatment;
-
Asked for 10+ hours for doctors to come to discuss the treatment;
-
When things were getting dire for his roommate and SMH doctors still didn’t come, Dr. Guffanti called an Infectious Disease colleague in the middle of the night to get help for him;
-
When that didn’t work, Dr. Guffanti blew the whistle on how he believed Sarasota Memorial was failing his roommate. (Read his story here).
Two years later, Dr. Guffanti is still deeply disturbed at what he believes was the unnecessary death of his roommate, and is still advocating for the kind of care he should have received.
The need to improve the Standard of Care at Sarasota Memorial, and offer more patient protection, is a big reason Dr. Stephen Guffanti is running for the hospital board.
Another way to gain an understanding of who Dr. Stephen Guffanti is, is through the eyes of those he is dedicating his retirement to: children. Years ago, when he lived in California, he saw kids lose their lives due to gang activity. He wanted to find a way to keep kids out of his Emergency Room, so he started a reading program when he realized that 80% of kids who can read do not join gangs. He later moved to Sarasota, and his reading program took off.
Dr. Guffanti loves helping the kids in his program. He spent decades in the ER saving lives, and is now dedicating his retirement to changing lives. He loves the light that sparks in the eyes of a child who finally feels smart because he can read. He feels deep satisfaction knowing that the chances of children growing up to live happy and productive lives skyrocket once they’ve learned how to read in his program.
Sarasota County voters get to choose four hospital board members in the August 20th and general elections, and Dr. Guffanti asks that we vote for the kind of medical doctors who actually made house calls: Stephen Guffanti, MD, and Tamzin Rosenwasser, MD. He asks us all to spread the word as if our lives depended on it, because someday, they just might.