New facilities and services planned to improve convenience to high quality healthcare

For more than 85 years, Broward Health, one of the 10 largest public healthcare systems in the country, has been focused on the future to fulfill the healthcare needs of our county. With strategic investments in real estate, Broward Health is expanding its footprint to provide healthcare to underserved areas.

First Freestanding Emergency Department in Sunrise

In October, Broward Health broke ground on a new freestanding emergency department in Sunrise, an area long recognized as a “medical desert” because of limited healthcare services available to residents. The new 18,000-square-foot emergency department, built in collaboration with Memorial Healthcare System’s Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, will ensure exceptional emergency care for both adults and children.

“This project is a key step in Broward Health’s overall strategic plan to increase accessibility to healthcare in underserved areas,” said David Clark, Senior Vice President of Operations for Broward Health. “The partnership between Broward Health and Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital is a huge win for the entire community.”

When it comes to emergency care, time is of the essence and proximity to a medical facility is vital. The freestanding emergency department will provide the same level of care as any hospital-based emergency room and be equipped with 15 exam rooms.

Patients will have round-the-clock access to board-certified emergency medicine doctors, nurses and pediatric specialists. The facility will also offer diagnostic imaging and a full-service laboratory, as well as specialized pediatric care and advanced diagnostics and radiology services, including mammography, ultrasound, CT scan, bone density and X-rays.

The freestanding emergency department aims to reduce discharge times from 220 minutes in hospitals to a range of 90-120 minutes. Patients who require further care can access transfers to high-quality treatments and specialties available throughout the Broward Health system.

The freestanding emergency department is expected to create 40 to 60 new jobs and have a $10.8 million economic impact on the community. The facility is scheduled to open in 2025. For more information about the Sunrise freestanding emergency department, visit BrowardHealth.org/Sunrise.

Expanding Maternity Care

Broward HealthPoint, an affiliate of Broward Health, aims to establish a maternity care center for uninsured and underinsured women in the Lauderhill and Lauderdale Lakes area due to the absence of OB-GYN services.

Women in Lauderhill and Lauderdale Lakes have traditionally had limited access to appropriate preventive, prenatal and postpartum care, which is a critical component of maternal health and positive birth outcomes. The new facility aims to bridge this gap by providing convenient and reliable healthcare services to women in the area.

“The prenatal center will provide women with resources developed in partnership with Healthy Start and group prenatal care programs known as centering pregnancy, the first program of its kind in Broward County,” said Rose McKelvie, administrator for Salah Foundation Children’s Hospital at Broward Health Medical Center. “Centering programs typically decrease the rate of preterm births among at-risk women.”

This project, in partnership with Community Care Plan, was made possible in part through an $850,000 grant from the Health Foundation of South Florida. The Broward HealthPoint maternity care center is expected to open in early 2024.

“One glaring example of the critical need for education and prenatal care is the fact that Broward County has one of the highest incident rates in Florida for congenital syphilis, according to the Florida Bureau of Community Health Assessment and Vital Statistics,” said McKelvie. “Syphilis is a severe, disabling and often life-threatening infection in infants that spreads from pregnant mother to her unborn infant but is easily treated with antibiotics if caught early.”

For more information, visit BrowardHealth.org/HealthPoint.

These two projects are just the beginning. As the calendar page turns to the New Year, Broward Health will continue to focus on the future wellness and healthcare needs of South Florida’s growing population through strategic planning, innovation, state-of-the-art technology, the highest quality care and ease of access to physicians and services.

For the latest developments, visit BrowardHealth.org.