By Brandon Charette, CSSBB, PMP, MS

When Holy Cross Health was founded 70 years ago, Broward County had less than 100,000 residents1, and Deerfield Beach had a population of about 2,0001. Today, there are nearly two million residents in Broward County2 and almost 100,000 people in Deerfield Beach3 and those numbers are projected to continue growing.

As Broward County and South Florida continue to grow, so does the need for accessible, high-quality health care. Responding to this shift, Holy Cross Health is expanding beyond its historic Fort Lauderdale campus with a new Free-Standing Emergency Department (FSED) and comprehensive outpatient medical clinic in Deerfield Beach.

This campus reflects a thoughtful evolution in how care is planned and delivered, bringing essential services closer to the communities they serve. Developed in close collaboration with physicians, clinical leaders and operations teams, the facility is designed around how care is practiced with clear circulation, intuitive wayfinding and a deliberate separation between emergency and scheduled services.

The Deerfield Beach campus introduces a big-box health care model that brings together emergency and outpatient care within a single, efficient medical destination. Patients can access the appropriate level of care in one location without confusion or delay.

Though housed within the same building, the campus is intentionally designed as two fully independent health care entities. With a projected opening in May, the Free-Standing Emergency Department operates as a focused, 24-hour emergency service, offering advanced diagnostic imaging, a fully functional on-site laboratory, private treatment rooms, dedicated ambulance access and direct transport capability to the Fort Lauderdale campus when hospital admission is required. The outpatient clinic functions as a multi-specialty medical center, offering primary care, cardiology, gynecology, gastroenterology, diagnostic lab services, and physical and occupational therapy.

The two services are fully separated by a dedicated, demising firewall, as required by the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), ensuring complete operational, life-safety and regulatory independence. Each entity functions on its own terms, with distinct workflows, staff circulation and patient pathways, while remaining co-located to provide convenient access to comprehensive care. This clarity supports patient safety, regulatory compliance and a more straightforward care experience.

At $41 million and 25,000 square feet, the one-story structure offers a range of services rarely found within a single medical facility. The Deerfield Beach campus reflects a deliberate expansion strategy centered on access, responsiveness and long-term community need, as well as a practical, community-focused approach to modern health care delivery. By repurposing an existing building along Federal Highway, Holy Cross Health can deliver care more quickly and efficiently, while embedding health care services directly into the fabric of a growing neighborhood.

This approach shortens the distance between patients and care, supports continuity across emergency and outpatient services, and allows the health system to respond thoughtfully as population patterns evolve. It is an expansion rooted not in scale for its own sake, but in proximity, practicality and patient-centered planning.

Situated at the northern edge of Broward County, the Deerfield Beach campus will also serve residents of Boca Raton and surrounding areas in South Palm Beach County. As Holy Cross Health’s northernmost location to date, the project reflects a measured, data-informed expansion aligned with population growth and regional demand.

More than an expansion, this campus establishes a repeatable, community-based model for future growth, demonstrating how emergency and outpatient services can be delivered clearly, compliantly and closer to where people live. It strengthens access today while positioning Holy Cross Health for sustainable growth in the years ahead.

Brandon Charette is Vice President, Strategy & Business Development at Holy Cross Health.

 1 U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of the Census 1950 Census of Population

2 United States Census Bureau

3 Broward County Government