Holy Cross Health is helping the aging population in South Florida live their healthiest and most active lives with the opening of the new Holy Cross AgeWell Center based at the Holy Cross HealthPlex in Fort Lauderdale.

Mark Doyle
Holy Cross Health President and CEO

“Our comprehensive, collaborative center is focused on healthcare, well-being and social interaction, all of which are extremely important to everyone’s mental health, regardless of your age,” said Holy Cross Health President and CEO Mark Doyle. “Our new model of care for the AgeWell Center serves those who are Medicare eligible and will provide services needed to age successfully.”

The AgeWell Center medical director provides clinical oversight, with a focus on preventive health, well health visits and chronic and new condition management. The Population Health Nurse is your go-to healthcare provider helping you reach your goals. A social worker provides a listening ear and is a community resource expert.

The patient concierge builds relationships with all members of the Holy Cross Health AgeWell Center, helping them and their families navigate through their visit and assistance with coordinating necessary appointments and transportation to and from the center.

“We are focused on providing the ultimate experience for each older adult, family member and visitor during their time at our facility,” said AgeWell Center Physician Leader Dr. Jennifer Capezzuti. “The Milken Institute ranks the top cities for ‘successful aging’ with criteria that covers everything from general livability to healthcare to education to community engagement. In 2019, South Florida, covering Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, ranked 74th in the list of the 100 Best Cities for Successful Aging. We need to do better. Our AgeWell Center is a tremendous step forward for the older population in our community.”



Broward Health North’s Rehabilitation Institute, which first opened its doors in 1991, celebrated its 30th year of providing high-quality, comprehensive rehabilitative services to the community with an anniversary celebration. To commemorate the occasion, the hospital unveiled the rehab program’s new name “Rehabilitation Institute” and wall signage on the unit.

(l-r) Cheri Silveria, Director of Rehab Services; Dr. Ariel Inocentes, Rehab Institute’s Medical Director; Dr. Jeffrey Samuels, former Medical Director of Rehab Services; Susan Newton, hospital COO; and Dr. Keith Foster, hospital Chief Medical Officer

Broward Health North Chief Medical Officer Keith Foster, M.D., kicked off the event by recognizing several of the longest-tenured team members, including Jeffrey Samuels, M.D., who was hired as the rehab program’s first medical director, a position he held for over 20 years.

“We are successful in what we do because we have a special culture here at our hospital,” said Dr. Samuels. “Everyone that works here is here because they are dedicated and strive to do everything they can to help our patients regain their physical skills.”

Dr. Foster shared an inspirational message with the caregivers during the ceremony.

“Your commitment to put our patients first has been integral to the many, many positive outcomes that have come out of our Rehabilitation Department,” said Dr. Foster. “Let’s continue to innovate, elevate and transform lives.”

Former trauma and rehabilitation patient Andres Perez-Molina was also in attendance along with his mother and girlfriend. He expressed his gratitude for the care he received last year after a spinal injury that left him paralyzed from the neck down, saying, “Thank you for being family to me; now I am family to you.”

Perez-Molina has regained his motor skills and is now back to his active lifestyle.



What makes surgery at a pediatric hospital top-notch? According to the American College of Surgeons, it is a commitment to quality care, appropriately and highly trained staff, participation in cutting-edge research, and leadership from surgeons who review the services’ surgical outcomes throughout the year. That commitment extends to meeting every child’s individual surgical needs with a care environment that offers optimal pediatric resources. Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital personifies this commitment and was recently designated Level I Children’s Surgery Verification from the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Children’s Surgery Verification (CSV) Program. That is ACS’s highest designation provided to a surgical center for its excellence in delivering care and continuous improvement to enhancing the structure, process and patient outcomes. As part of this designation, the hospital also participates in a national surgery registry where best practices are shared with other programs.

Jill Whitehouse, M.D.

“Achieving Level I speaks to the caliber of the surgical team at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital and attests to our capability for meeting the most complex surgical needs of our pediatric community,” said Jill Whitehouse, M.D., Vice-Chief, Pediatric General Surgery, Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. “It also demonstrates our team’s passion for excellence and our dedication to safety and quality that extends to every patient we touch.”

Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital is one of only two in the state with Level I verification, and joins an elite list of 33 hospitals nationwide with this honor. The CSV program is based on other nationally recognized American College of Surgeons quality improvement programs that have measurably improved surgical quality and have prevented complications, reduced costs and saved lives. CSV standards ensure that children facing surgery receive care under a multidisciplinary program with quality improvement and safety processes, data collection, and appropriate resources provided to them as patients at the hospital.



Eugene M. & Christine E. Lynn Cancer Institute at Boca Raton Regional Hospital has expanded its life-saving cancer diagnosis and treatment services in Palm Beach County to a new location at Bethesda Health City, part of Bethesda Hospital East. The facility is located at 10301 Hagen Ranch Road in Boynton Beach.

“We look forward to this partnership that will help us bring state-of-the-art comprehensive oncology care closer to our patients and community,” says Nelson Lazo, CEO of Bethesda Hospital East and Bethesda Hospital West.

“When we work together, we can accomplish more,” says Louise Morrell, M.D., medical director of Lynn

Cancer Institute. “With every cancer diagnosis, our goal is to provide patients and their families with

personalized care driven by the latest molecular testing and state-of-the-art technology, while maintaining an unsurpassed patient experience.”

In addition to its main location at Boca Regional, Lynn Cancer Institute already operates two satellite

facilities in Delray Beach — one on Military Trail and the other on Linton Boulevard. With increasing

cancer specialization and the need for the latest technology, the expansion to Bethesda Hospital will

greatly benefit patients.



The Salah Foundation has generously granted $500,000 for the renovation and expansion of Holy Cross Health’s congestive heart failure (CHF) clinic. Capacity will be expanded to include the addition of patient exam rooms and support space for a patient/family consult area.

The goal of Holy Cross Health’s Center for Cardiac Therapeutics is to build a CHF team around a mission of improving the care of CHF patients across the spectrum of their illness.

“We recognize congestive heart failure is a heterogeneous syndrome that requires ongoing care, said Dr. Joshua M. Larned, chief of medicine at Holy Cross and medical director of CHF services. “Compassion underlies our daily practice, and we are committed to improving the quality of life of our patients. With the generosity of The Salah Foundation, we will be able to enhance our patients’ care and experience.”