Expansion Now Underway at West Kendall Baptist Hospital

West Kendall Baptist Hospital recently broke ground on a long-planned addition to the hospital’s 30-acre campus, according to hospital CEO Lourdes Boue. When completed in early 2023, the four-story, 126,000-square-foot tower will increase the clinical capacity of the existing facility by adding 35 new emergency treatment rooms, 70 observation and inpatient beds, and growth areas for imaging and other high-demand services.

A virtual groundbreaking ceremony for the new tower was held on Wednesday, November 18^th. In light of the pandemic, the event was streamed live via Zoom and hosted by Mrs. Boue along with Aida Shafer, chair of the West Kendall Baptist Hospital board of directors, and a small contingent of socially distanced Baptist Health executives and community leaders.

(Watch now: Groundbreaking ceremony for major addition to West Kendall Baptist Hospital. Video by Dylan Kyle.)

“Since our opening in 2011, we have been a vital part of the neighborhood,” said Mrs. 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.

“Twelve or 13 years ago, when we had the vision to actually do a hospital out here, little did we know that it would far exceed our expectations of the quick growth,” said Ana Lopez-Blazquez, executive vice president and chief strategy & transformation officer for Baptist Health Enterprises, of the dramatic growth in West Kendall.

The new tower will match the modern Mediterranean style of the existing hospital, according to Mrs. Boue, 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.