Baptist Health South Florida’s Meditation Garden, an urban oasis of peace and tranquility adjacent to the bustle of U.S. 1 in South Miami, was dedicated in a special ceremony on Thursday, Dec. 13.
Baptist Health in partnership with Friends of The Underline created the Meditation Garden near where The Underline trail runs in parallel with U.S. 1 and intersects with SW 62nd Avenue near South Miami Hospital’s East Tower.
“Baptist Health South Florida is a proud participant in the development of a 10-mile urban park space for walking and bicycling under the Metrorail,” said Brian E. Keeley, chief executive officer, Baptist Health. “The Meditation Garden we dedicate today is a pleasant, peaceful area intended to provide a serene setting for people to enjoy amid the rush of our everyday lives.”
The Meditation Garden reflects how private property owners adjacent to The Underline can contribute to safe public spaces in meaningful ways. Baptist Health worked with Friends of The Underline to align with the shared mission to improve public physical and mental health.
Friends of The Underline broke ground Nov. 2 in the Brickell area on the first half-mile of The Underline.
“The Meditation Garden designed by Baptist Health is an urban masterpiece and evidence of the possibilities when we shift our transportation philosophy to include alternatives such as walking and bicycling in a safe and beautiful environment. Here is a lush park with seating near a high-occupancy highway and under local transit where people can find a place to seek rest and calm. Our dream has become an attainable goal with the groundbreaking last month at the beginning of the trail and the opening of Meditation Park today near the end of the trail. It’s truly gratifying,” said Meg Daly, founder of The Underline and a member of Miami Dade County Neat Streets and the Bike 305 Executive Committee.
The Underline linear park is a $120 million project to redevelop open space beneath the aerial Metrorail tracks that extends from the north end of the Miami River to South Miami.
About Baptist Health South Florida
Baptist Health South Florida is the largest healthcare organization in the region, with 10 hospitals (Baptist Hospital, Baptist Children’s Hospital, Bethesda Hospital East, Bethesda Hospital West, Doctors Hospital, Fishermen’s Community Hospital, Homestead Hospital, Mariners Hospital, South Miami Hospital and West Kendall Baptist Hospital), more than 40 physician practices, 50 outpatient and urgent care facilities, Baptist Health Medical Group, Baptist Health Quality Network and internationally renowned centers of excellence spanning across Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. A not-for-profit organization supported by philanthropy and committed to our faith-based charitable mission of medical excellence, Baptist Health has more than 19,500 employees and more than 3,000 affiliated physicians. Baptist Health South Florida has been recognized by Fortune as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America and by Ethisphere as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies. For more information, visit BaptistHealth.net/newsroom and connect with us on Facebook at facebook.com/BaptistHealthSF and on Twitter and Instagram.
About Friends of The Underline
Friends of The Underline is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization advocating to transform the underutilized land below Miami’s Metrorail into a 10-mile linear park, urban trail and canvas for artistic expression to create a safer, healthier, more connected and sustainable, mobile, and engaged community. For more information visit www.theunderline.org and Like and Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @theunderlinemia.
