Health Care

How healthcare trends are bringing challenges and changes to South Florida

Stories by Miami Herald journalists, with AI summarization

This collection of reporting shows healthcare developments shaping Miami-Dade and Broward counties, including transportation, hospital expansions and specialized care.

New initiatives like Green Cars for Kids addressed barriers for maternity patients in Miami-Dade and Broward by providing free rides to prenatal appointments, tackling a critical need in areas like Hialeah with limited maternal healthcare.

Meanwhile, Doral has become a burgeoning healthcare hub with institutions like UHealth and Baptist Health expanding outpatient facilities, catering to population growth and reducing travel for specialty care. Nicklaus Children's Hospital advanced its offerings with surgical towers that integrate cutting-edge technology like robotics.

Here's a look at what's happening in South Florida healthcare:

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories below were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.

Marie Odvil uses a free car service for low-income pregnant mothers provided by Green Cars For Kids in partnership with Freebee and Jackson Health on Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024, outside of Holtz Children’s Hospital on Jackson’s campus in Miami. By Alie Skowronski

NO. 1: CAN A CAR RIDE HELP YOUR HEALTH? FOR SOUTH FLORIDA MATERNITY PATIENTS, IT’S AN ISSUE

What to know about the transit services for mother and baby. | Published October 7, 2024 | Read Full Story by Michelle Marchante

Nurses train to use the equipment of the operating room in the new Kenneth C. Griffin surgical tower at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Miami, Fla. The operating rooms of the new building are 800 square feet and among the biggest in the country. By Sophia Bolivar

NO. 2: ‘HOSPITAL WITHIN A HOSPITAL.’ NICKLAUS CHILDREN’S OPENS NEW SURGERY HUB WITH SPECIAL TECH

Here’s what we know | Published November 7, 2024 | Read Full Story by Michelle Marchante

Florida has experienced an outbreak of measles, including among children in Broward County.

NO. 3: NICKLAUS CHILDREN’S AND BROWARD HEALTH TEAM UP FOR CARE. WHAT IT MEANS FOR PATIENTS

The initiative will give Broward Health pediatric patients access to certain Nicklaus specialists. | Published November 30, 2024 | Read Full Story by Michelle Marchante

Nurses train to use the equipment of the operating room in the new Kenneth C. Griffin surgical tower at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Miami, Fla. The operating rooms of the new building are 800 square feet and among the biggest in the country. By Sophia Bolivar

NO. 4: THESE MIAMI-AREA HOSPITALS AND SURGERY CENTERS ARE THE BEST IN THE STATE, RANKINGS SAY

What to know about the watchdog’s report. | Published January 14, 2025 | Read Full Story by Michelle Marchante

Three employees leave Palmetto General Hospital through the emergency entrance on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, in Hialeah, Fla. By Sophia Bolivar

NO. 5: CAN THIS MATERNITY WARD BE SAVED? DOCTORS, NURSES SOUND ALARM AT A MIAMI-AREA HOSPITAL

"If the maternity unit closes, I have no idea where I will give birth.” | Published February 13, 2025 | Read Full Story by Verónica Egui Brito Michelle Marchante

A 3D graphical representation of a measles virus particle.

NO. 6: DID YOU GET THE MEASLES VACCINE IN THE PAST? DO YOU NEED ANOTHER SHOT? HOW TO CHECK

What to know about how long it lasts. | Published March 15, 2025 | Read Full Story by Michelle Marchante

An external view of the new UHealth Doral Medical Center during its grand opening event on Thursday, November 21, 2024. By Alexia Fodere

NO. 7: A GROWING MEDICAL HUB IS CHANGING HEALTHCARE IN MIAMI. WHAT’S DRIVING THE NEW PUSH? 

“Every major system is expanding. The whole area is hot now.” | Published March 24, 2025 | Read Full Story by Michelle Marchante

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes spread dengue to people through bites.

NO. 8: DENGUE FEVER ON THE RISE. WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE MOSQUITO-BORNE ILLNESS IN FLORIDA

Puerto Rico has recorded at least 1,012 cases of dengue so far in 2025, followed by Florida, 50, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, which has 40 recorded cases. | Published March 26, 2025 | Read Full Story by Michelle Marchante

This report was produced with the help of AI tools, which summarized previous stories reported and written by McClatchy journalists. It was edited by journalists in our News division.