Welcome to the debut of Sarasota Health News.

On the "About Us" page, you can learn what we hope to do with this website. But this first slate of three articles says it more vividly.

One tells the too-familiar story of a man who has lost his job and his health care in the recession, and of how a local non-profit fills a need for him and hundreds more.

The other two examine the quality and costs of care at Sarasota Memorial Hospital, in many ways a living example of the key issues in health care reform: What is high-quality care, and what are we willing to pay for it?

So that's what we hope to do here. We will bring you stories that you will find nowhere else, that give you valuable information about finding quality care, that tell you what is happening with local health care providers, and explain how major health care issues may affect your life.

In the weeks and months to come, we hope you read these stories, talk about them with family and friends, and let us know your ideas. Thanks for visiting, and come back often. -- David Gulliver