November 20, 2020 – This week, a virtual groundbreaking event officially kicked off a clinical expansion project at West Kendall Baptist Hospital, part of Baptist Health South Florida. At the heart of the project, scheduled to be completed in early 2023, is a four-story, 126,000-square-foot new tower that will house 35 additional emergency department treatment rooms, 70 new observation/inpatient beds and growth areas for imaging services and more.
West Kendall Baptist Hospital breaks ground on clinical expansion. From L-R: West Kendall Baptist Hospital Foundation Chair and Medical Staff President, Albert Tano, M.D.; Turner Construction On-site Project Executive, Eric Van Hook; Baptist Health Executive Vice President & Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer, Ana Lopez-Blazquez; West Kendall Baptist Hospital Chief Executive Officer, Lourdes Boue; West Kendall Baptist Hospital Board Chair, Aida Shafer; Baptist Health Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Bo Boulenger; and State Representative, Juan Fernandez-Barquin.
The groundbreaking event on November 18, 2020, was streamed live via Zoom and hosted by Lourdes Boue, chief executive officer of West Kendall Baptist Hospital and Aida Shafer, chair of the West Kendall Baptist Hospital board of directors, alongside a group of socially distanced Baptist Health executives and community leaders.
“Since our opening in 2011, we have been a vital part of the neighborhood,” said Lourdes Boue during the event. “We are committed to providing an excellent patient experience along with the most advanced technology. This expansion is an investment in our community.”
When it opened, West Kendall Baptist Hospital was Miami-Dade County’s first non-replacement hospital in more than 35 years. The hospital supported a vision of West Kendall as a convenient central hub where area residents can live, work and play, and the campus’ award-winning design anticipated rapid growth in the area.
The new construction will match the modern Mediterranean style of the existing hospital and feature the same eco-friendly features that earned the hospital LEED Gold certification for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, a green building certification program used worldwide.
About West Kendall Baptist
West Kendall Baptist Hospital is part of Baptist Health South Florida, the largest healthcare organization in the region, with 11 hospitals, nearly 23,000 employees, more than 4,000 physicians and more than 100 outpatient centers, urgent care facilities and physician practices spanning across Miami-Dade, Monroe, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Baptist Health has internationally renowned centers of excellence in cancer, cardiovascular care, orthopedics and sports medicine, and neurosciences. In addition, it includes Baptist Health Medical Group; Baptist Health Quality Network; and Baptist Health Care On Demand, a virtual health platform. A not-for-profit organization supported by philanthropy and committed to its faith-based charitable mission of medical excellence, Baptist Health 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, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
