Nicklaus Children’s Hospital leaders and supporters recently joined together for a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the launch of the next phase of the hospital’s master facility plan, construction of a 127,000-square-foot surgical tower slated for completion in 2024. The tower will rise four stories above the hospital’s Emergency Department, located at the center of the main campus near Coral Gables.
“We are beaming with pride as we celebrate the groundbreaking of the new surgical tower,” said Matthew A. Love, president and CEO of Nicklaus Children’s Health System, parent organization of the hospital. “The tower will strengthen our legacy as the number one children’s hospital in Florida and the premier center for delivering the best surgical care to the children of our community, our state and around the world.”
In a joint statement, golf Icon Jack Nicklaus and his wife, Barbara, said, “We are honored to be here to make history with the groundbreaking of the surgical tower. The planned new state-of-the art surgical suites have been on the hospital’s “wish list” for many years and we know the tower is going to fill an important need for the children of South Florida and around the globe.”
The surgical tower will enable the hospital to construct new state-of-the-art operating suites to replace existing operating rooms that are now 35 years old and lack the size and ceiling height necessary to accommodate fully the latest equipment, along with multidisciplinary surgical teams required for complex cases. Offerings will include augmented reality during surgery, virtual reality surgical planning and more. The new structure will also offer spacious and private pre- and post-surgical care spaces for the children and families we serve.
