South Florida’s Healthcare Leaders Drive Economy, Community and Innovation
By Matt Beardmore
The healthcare industry is recognized as one of South Florida’s major economic drivers.
According to the Florida Hospital Association, more than 266,000 people in the region are employed in
hospital healthcare jobs, and the sector generates an estimated $27 billion to the Fort
Lauderdale/Miami Dade region on an annual basis.
The healthcare industry is also deeply committed to promoting community health, developing the local
workforce and advancing research and launching facilities that anticipate the future of care delivery.
Two of the area’s leading institutions, the UHealth–University of Miami Health System and
Baptist Health South Florida, are making a meaningful impact in all of these areas.
Promoting Community Health
As South Florida’s only academic medical center, UHealth brings research, education and
innovation into the heart of South Florida as it trains the next generation of physicians, advances
clinical trials that attract resources to the region and make healthcare more accessible.
Sylvester also added radiation oncology to its palette of services at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer
Center Plantation, bringing advanced radiation treatments and comprehensive cancer care directly to
Broward County residents.
At Baptist Health South Florida – the region’s largest employer with more than 28,000 team
members serving across 12 hospitals and a broad outpatient network – the connections and
partnerships with local schools, nonprofits and community organizations throughout Broward County run
deep.
“We collaborate with more than 25 Broward community associations to deliver vital services, while
our Community Health division provides free wellness programs ranging from nutrition and chronic disease
management to caregiver support and community events,” said Ana Lopez-Blazquez, executive vice
president and chief strategy officer at Baptist Health, and CEO of Baptist Health Enterprises.
“Through our academic affiliations with Florida International University and Florida Atlantic
University, we are not only preparing the next generation of healthcare professionals, but also
advancing research and extending care into the communities we serve.”
Developing the Local Workforce
With more than 2,700 providers and nearly 17,000 faculty and staff, UHealth –recognized as an
employer of choice by its workforce and the communities it serves – is a major economic engine,
creating thousands of high-quality, rewarding jobs in South Florida. According to UHealth, it
“offers competitive salaries and comprehensive benefits designed to support the holistic
well-being of our workforce and their families, including student loan assistance and repayment
programs, housing loan programs, employee discounts on travel, transportation and dining, and more. In
addition, we provide ongoing professional development, leadership training, and opportunities for career
growth to ensure our employees can thrive in their roles.”
Attracting and retaining top talent is also a priority for Baptist Health as it combines targeted
recruitment strategies, community partnerships and a strong employer brand to ensure it attracts
professionals who share its values and commitment to excellence. “We also invest heavily in
professional development through leadership programs, mentorship and research opportunities, ensuring a
pipeline of highly skilled clinicians and staff,” Lopez-Blazquez said.
Advancing Research
Both UHeath and Baptist Health are at the forefront in translating research and technology into
real-world care that improves outcomes and access. real-world care that improves outcomes and access.
Backed by the Miller School of Medicine, UHealth is constantly expanding its translational research
portfolio, bringing the latest cures and therapies from the bench to the bedside. The
organization’s academic pedigree grants its patients access to cutting-edge clinical trials,
meaning UHealth patients can benefit from groundbreaking treatments before they are widely
available.
Baptist Health’s dedicated business unit, Baptist Health Innovations, engineers the future of
healthcare by providing physicians and staff with resources to create transformative products, devices,
therapies and services. “We are also expanding access through digital platforms such as the
Baptist Health PineApp, which provides on-demand virtual care to the community, as well as various AI
tools for both clinical and non-clinical employees,” Lopez-Blazquez said. “Our leadership in
innovation has been recognized nationally, with Baptist Health named to Fortune’s ‘Most
Innovative Companies’ list for three consecutive years—the highest-ranked hospital system in
Florida.”
Expansion
Both UHealth and Baptist Health are focused on expanding access, advancing research and launching
facilities that anticipate the future of care delivery. The organization is bringing care to an expanded
radius of patients in the region with last year’s opening of UHealth Doral, a six-story, 160,000
square foot medical center that brings dozens of subspecialties to this growing region, with imaging,
endoscopy suites, more than 30 clinical treatment units to accommodate patients and their families,
eight operating rooms and more than 60 exam rooms.
UHealth also recently opened its largest ambulatory facility. UHealth SoLé Mia, a 370,000 square foot,
state-of-the-art medical center, will bring high-quality academic medicine to the communities of North
Miami, Aventura and the surrounding areas. UHealth SoLé Mia, which will also house a collaborative team
of UHealth and Hospital for Special Surgery orthopaedic specialists to provide world-class specialists
to provide musculoskeletal care to patients in South Florida.
On the Miami Health District medical campus, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of UHealth and
South Florida’s only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center and nationally top-ranked
cancer center, has opened the 12-story, 244,000-square-foot Kenneth C. Griffin Cancer Research Building.
With ample space for both research faculty and clinicians, the facility will double its research
footprint, accelerate efforts to develop new therapies, enhance care for patients and expand access to
clinical trials.
In 2027, Baptist Health will open a new medical center in Pembroke Pines, offering emergency,
cardiology, neurology and primary care services.
Baptist Health South Florida is deepening its investment in Broward County, building on years of
outpatient, urgent care, and specialty services with two major projects: a three-story,
60,000-square-foot medical center in Pembroke Pines set to open in 2027 and the system’s first
full hospital in Sunrise, a $500 million, 100-bed facility expected in 2028. The growth continues across
the region with a new cancer center in Doral, a 62-bed rehabilitation hospital rising in South Miami,
and two landmark projects on the Kendall campus — the Al & Jane Nahmad Women’s Cancer Center
and the Kenneth C. Griffin Center for the Miami Neuroscience Institute. In Palm Beach County, Boca Raton
Regional Hospital is adding a proton therapy center and the Gloria Drummond Patient Tower, while in the
Florida Keys, new facilities in Marathon and expanded cancer services in Key West are strengthening
access to care.
To learn more about healthcare trends that will define South Florida and how two of the region’s
healthcare systems are impacting the communities they serve, please visit https://umiamihealth.org/en/ and https://baptisthealth.net.
