Donation to Enhance Pediatric Care for Children in Florida and Beyond for Generations to Come
January 31. 2023 – Nicklaus Children’s Hospital officials today announced one of the largest single donations in the hospital’s 72-year history. The $25 million gift from Citadel founder and CEO Kenneth C. Griffin will support the new five-story, 127,000-square-foot surgical tower opening in 2024. In recognition of this historic gift, it will be named the Kenneth C. Griffin Surgical Tower.
Mr. Griffin’s donation will also help fund Nicklaus Children’s four major institutes advancing pediatric care related to the brain, cancer and blood disorders, the heart, and orthopedics.
“This transformational gift will change the future of pediatric care for generations to come and ensure that doctors, nurses, and specialists have the latest technological advances at their fingertips to treat the children we serve,” said Matthew A. Love, president and CEO of Nicklaus Children’s Health System, the hospital’s parent organization. “We are enormously grateful to Mr. Griffin for this generous donation, which will strengthen our position as the pediatric healthcare leader in the state of Florida.”
The new surgical facility, featuring robotics, virtual and augmented reality, and intraoperative monitoring, as well as expansive surgical suites and improved pre- and post-surgical care spaces, will allow the hospital to provide world-class care in a high-tech, family-friendly environment for decades to come.
“Nicklaus Children’s Hospital is a world leader in healthcare,” said Ken Griffin. “We are so blessed to have such a talented team dedicated to providing the best care to every child. I am honored to support this mission.”
“It warms our hearts when others share our passion for helping children,” said Jack and Barbara Nicklaus, co-founders of the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation. “Thanks to Ken’s generous gift, any child who needs surgery at Nicklaus Children’s will be able to receive the exceptional care they deserve.”
Uniquely designed for the most complex medical cases, Nicklaus Children’s serves a diverse population of nearly half a million pediatric patients a year, including 100,000 who need emergency attention and many who require life-saving treatment and surgery. With nearly 70 percent of patients insured by Medicaid, Nicklaus Children’s relies on philanthropic support to provide every child with the best treatment available.
In partnership with the hospital’s foundation, Nicklaus Children’s is embarking on the next phase of its story with a campaign to support the tower and the development of its institutes.
Mr. Griffin’s gift is helping to propel those projects and will make an everlasting impact on pediatric care for children in Florida and beyond.
To learn more about supporting Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, please visit https://give.nicklauschildrens.org.
About Nicklaus Children’s Hospital (2022)
Founded in 1950 by Variety Clubs International, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital is South Florida’s only licensed specialty hospital exclusively for children. The hospital has about 800 attending physicians, including over 500 pediatric subspecialists. The 309-bed medical facility, known as Miami Children’s Hospital from 1983 through 2014, is renowned for excellence in all aspects of pediatric medicine with many specialty programs routinely ranked among the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report since 2008. In the 2022-2023 U.S. News ranking, the hospital tied with two other hospitals as the number one children’s hospital in Florida. The hospital is also home to the largest pediatric teaching program in the southeastern United States and since 2003 has been designated an American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet facility, the nursing profession’s most prestigious institutional honor. For more information, please visit www.nicklauschildrens.org.
About Nicklaus Children’s Health System
Nicklaus Children’s Health System (NCHS) is the parent organization of Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, South Florida’s only licensed specialty hospital exclusively for children. The 309-bed nonprofit hospital, known as Miami Children’s Hospital from 1983 through 2014, was founded in 1950 by Variety Clubs International and is renowned for excellence in all aspects of pediatric medicine, with many programs routinely ranked among the nation’s best by U.S. News & World Report. The health system also includes Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Foundation, the organization’s 501c3 fundraising arm that raises essential funds for Nicklaus Children’s.
