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University of Miami begins construction on residential healthcare facility



Ground broke this week in the construction of the University of Miami’s (UM) newest ambulatory healthcare facility. The medical center will encompass 363,000 square feet and provide residential health services to North Miami-Dade and South Broward counties.

The health complex will exist as part of SoLé Mia, a 184-acre, $4 billion mixed-use development space in North Miami. Specialists from the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Desai Sethi Urology Institute, and physicians from UM’s neurology and neurosurgery programs will be operational within the center upon completion.

Further, the facility will feature 110 exam rooms, 10 operating rooms, and 33 clinical treatment units for cancer patients.

Once operational, the medical center will house a variety of specialty treatment departments including cardiology, endocrinology, otolaryngology, gastroenterology, dermatology, and physical rehabilitation, among others.

“Today we are thrilled and excited that now we have it—first class, best in class access to medical services—that our residents will have within 10 minutes of the homes,” North Miami Mayor Phillipe Bien-Aimé said. “This elevates everything around us.”

The University of Miami medical school serves as the only university hospital system in South Florida and ranks highly among its national peers. The university’s comprehensive care combines patient care, research, and education to create a front-line approach to health care.

“As the only academic health system in South Florida, it is our mission to transform lives in our community and around the world by delivering high-quality health care and innovation,” said Dr. Julio Frenk, president of the University of Miami. “This new facility, with the highly specialized care it will offer, builds upon the longstanding partnerships the University has in South Florida.”

The university was recently able to establish an endowed chair to Advance Primary Care and Health Equity Research, coming to fruition after a $3 million donation from the Chen Family Foundation.

The Endowed Chair enables the Miller School’s Department of Medicine to recruit an individual with extensive experience in primary and population health care, allowing the University to become the leader in primary care and medicine among academic institutions.

Once aboard, that expert will be tasked with researching and improving the way primary care is delivered, and health equity is advanced throughout South Florida, according to the university.