West Kendall Baptist Hospital, which opened for patient care on April 27, 2011, is a teaching hospital with surgical, emergency, maternity and diagnostic units. The hospital represents the first completely new, non-replacement hospital built in Miami in more than 35 years.
The hospital was designed to be able to grow with the needs of the community. Located on a 30-acre property in the Kendall Town Center, at SW 162 Ave. and 96th Street, the four-story, 282,000-square-foot facility accommodates 133 licensed acute care inpatient beds and private patient rooms, and is expecting to receive 40,000 emergency room visits annually.
The hospital campus includes a freestanding, four-story, 63,000-square-foot building for physician offices with an outpatient diagnostic and imaging center on the first floor. This building is adjacent to the hospital.
West Kendall Baptist Hospital has a New Web Address WestKendallBaptistHospital.com. The site features information about the new facility, the staff, building practices and the patient- and family-centered care focus.
As an added interactive component, the site’s social media features allow users to share content and “follow” Baptist Health’s social media sites.
WestKendallBaptistHospital.com is available in a mobile optimized version, which allows cell phone users to browse through the site easily on smart phones. The mobile version will also feature “Click to Call" and “Click to Map” functionalities, providing easier connectivity. Join the conversation by sharing your stories and feedback under the “How Do You Feel” and “Your Stories” sections.
Academic affiliation
Through a formal academic affiliation with the Florida International University’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, West Kendall Baptist Hospital will be home to an accredited family practice residency program.
"We are very excited to open this new hospital. Our affiliation with the FIU College of Medicine will combine the high quality and service you have come to expect from Baptist Health hospitals with the cutting-edge practices you can only find at a teaching facility,” said Javier Hernandez-Lichtl, the recently appointed CEO of West Kendall Baptist Hospital.
Mr. Hernandez-Lichtl will serve as chief academic affiliation officer for Baptist Health and associate dean of the FIU medical school.
Emergency Care Closer to Home
The emergency center will handle more than 40,000 visits annually. Today, about 7,000 patients per year travel from West Kendall to Baptist Health hospitals for inpatient care, and more than 21,000 West Kendall residents travel for emergency care. In addition, various Baptist Medical Plazas provided urgent care treatment to more than 16,500 West Kendall residents last year. The new hospital will make it easier for area residents to get to emergency care when time is of the essence.
Built to Withstand a Category 5 Hurricane
West Kendall Baptist Hospital was built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane with winds of 180 mph. The building will be self-sustainable for a minimum of five days following a severe weather event.
Green Hospital
The hospital's construction has incorporated Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards for environmental responsibility and sustainability.