$212 Million Medical Center to Combat Physician Shortages in Florida
By Fay Harvey
MIAMI — As the South Florida population continues to grow, Florida International University (FIU) is developing a $212 million medical center on campus to ensure the region maintains adequate healthcare access.
In collaboration with nonprofit healthcare organization Baptist Health, FIU’s new state-of-the-art Clinical Partnership Medical Center will stand as a 100,000-square-foot hub for medical training, research and education for FIU students, while simultaneously providing direct outpatient clinical services to the community.
In addition to expanding healthcare access, the project also aims to keep graduates employed in the region. Coinciding with the facility’s projected 2028 opening, FIU will debut 22 new graduate residency medical programs to combat the state’s physician shortage. A recent report commissioned by the Florida Safety Net Hospital Alliance and the Florida Hospital Association shows that the state lacks nearly 6,000 traditional primary care specialists and has an additional need for approximately 12,000 specialists. Proposed graduate medical education (GME) programs will target the region’s healthcare supply and demand deficits, including anesthesiology, cardiology and neurology.
“Today we are planting the seed,” said Juan C. Cendan, MD, dean of the College of Medicine, in a statement. “In time, we will train more and more doctors, and our researchers will develop better drugs and treatments. And we will measure our impact in the number of lives we touch.”
An urgent care center, ambulatory surgery center, diagnostic suite and dedicated primary care area are included in the facility plans as well as numerous specialty practices such as oncology, neurology, cardiology and orthopedics. These additions not only enhance healthcare services for the local community, but they also provide medical students with hands-on hospital experience.
The facility additionally aims to expand interdisciplinary research opportunities by including space for students studying nursing, social work, public health and the allied health sciences. With clinical innovation and groundbreaking research—as well as collaboration with the Miami Cancer Institute at Baptist Health—FIU’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine hopes to attract both highly specialized physicians and prospective students with the new building.
“This enhanced clinical and academic collaboration will be transformative in reshaping health care in the region,” said Bo Boulenger, Baptist Health president and CEO, in a statement. “The elevation of Baptist Hospital to a statutory teaching hospital is a monumental leap that will expand undergraduate and graduate medical education programs, foster clinical research initiatives and enhance patient care services.”
Design services, medical planning and sustainability consulting for the project are being led by Stantec, a global sustainable architecture, engineering and environmental consulting firm. Stantec’s design plans will encapsulate FIU and Baptist Health’s distinct brands and ideals.
“Florida’s growing and aging population makes the state susceptible to a physician shortage in primary care. We are proud to be a part of this important collaboration between FIU and Baptist Health as they bring together world-class clinical and academic expertise,” said Arturo Vasquez, AIA, design principal for Stantec, in a statement. “Our design will support the brand promise of both entities as they share a path to expanded clinical care, improved wellness and better health.”