Miami Cancer Institute to Open in 2016

MIAMI — Construction is underway for the new $430 million Miami Cancer Institute at Baptist Health South Florida, which celebrated the groundbreaking on Aug. 8.

Designed by Miami-based MGE Architects and Portland, Ore.-based ZGF, the project will be completed in 2016 by engineering and construction firm Robins & Morton, based in Birmingham, Ala. The new 444,000-square-foot facility is located on the Baptist Health campus and will consolidate outpatient clinical services and a dedicated cancer research center.

The highly anticipated institute also introduces proton therapy to South Florida. The specialty treatment method beams radiation directly to a tumor to destroy cancer cells while avoiding healthy tissue. The institute will also be the area’s main destination for diagnostic imaging, infusion chemotherapy and bone marrow transplant services.

“The Miami Cancer Institute at Baptist Health South Florida will be recognized as a world-class destination for providing evidence-based, individualized care for our patients. It will be a state-of-the-art facility that will be unmatched in our region in terms of clinical excellence and advanced cancer care, and we are recruiting nationally renowned experts to lead the Institute,” said Brian E. Keeley, president and CEO of Baptist Health South Florida, in a satement.

The four-story building will be linked to the main hospital through an incorporated inpatient floor. Additionally, two parking garages will be able to accommodate 1,200 cars for patients and families that only need access to the cancer institute.

Dedicated programs at the institute will set it apart as a leader in cancer research. Miami Cancer Institute will work closely with leading academic centers, including Advanced Medical Specialties (AMS). The facility will use Baptist Health’s robotic surgery and will house the Baptist Health Breast Center, as well as a 90,000-square-foot research facility designed for principal investigators, researchers and staff to pursue clinical trials and translational research.

Baptist Health is the largest health care organization in the region, with seven hospitals (Baptist Hospital, Baptist Children’s Hospital, Doctors Hospital, Homestead Hospital, Mariners Hospital, South Miami Hospital and West Kendall Baptist Hospital) and more than 30 outpatient and urgent care facilities spanning three counties. The nonprofit has more than 15,000 employees and 2,200 affiliated physicians.

“The new Miami Cancer Institute allows us to combine innovation and precision in cancer care — from detection and treatment to clinical research and prevention — in one place under the umbrella of Baptist Health’s well-known high quality patient care,” said Leonard Kalman, M.D., future deputy director for Miami Cancer Institute, in a statement.