A new cancer hub is opening in Miami Beach soon. Here’s what patients can expect
Mount Sinai’s new Miami Beach cancer hub is nearly ready.
You can see the five-story glass building as you drive into Miami Beach, nestled along the picturesque coast of Biscayne Bay. Hospital executives say the Braman Comprehensive Cancer Center was designed with wellness in mind, to provide care not just for the patient’s physical health but for their mental and emotional health, too.
Mount Sinai Medical Center wants to “redefine cancer care in South Florida by combining world-class medical innovation with a deeply patient-centric, holistic experience,” said Mount Sinai President and CEO Gino R. Santorio. “We’re ensuring every individual has access to advanced prevention, diagnosis, treatment, research and survivorship support, but all under one roof, close to home, in a state-of-the-art facility.”
The expansion comes at a time when more people are getting diagnosed with cancer, and at younger ages. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in Florida, after heart disease, according to the state’s health department. But early detection and effective treatments have helped cancer deaths steadily decline.
“We’re at capacity right now in our existing center,” said Santorio, noting that the hospital system is building for the future. The new cancer hub will be 216,000 square feet, three times as big as its existing center. He said one of the hospital’s goals is to make it possible for patients to see oncologists within days of requesting an appointment.
Santorio describes Mount Sinai as a “destination center” because while the majority of its patients are from South Florida, many come from elsewhere, including the Florida Keys.
The Miami Herald was recently given a tour of the new center, expected to open in early 2026.
Here’s a look at what’s coming.
Type of treatments
The Braman Comprehensive Cancer Center, built over what used to be a parking lot on Mount Sinai’s Miami Beach campus, will offer the latest tech and cancer treatments, including a “comprehensive hereditary cancer genetics program” for people with a known or suspected inherited risk of developing cancer, according to the private not-for-profit hospital system.
On the fifth floor will be the infusion bay, an area where patients will be able to receive chemotherapy and other infusion treatments while looking at Miami’s skyline and the waters of Biscayne Bay. The space will be semi-private, with mini dividers to separate patients in the open space concept. Angel Pallin, Mount Sinai’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, said the idea is to let patients choose if they want privacy or a chance to socialize with others. Private rooms are also available.
The new center is expected to expand on the capabilities of Mount Sinai’s existing cancer hub, which will eventually be repurposed to provide other types of specialty care.
Some other highlights:
- The center will have 56 exam rooms and 39 infusion bays, with the ability to expand into 56 bays, and an in-house pharmacy. The old center had 23 exam rooms and 20 bays. The women’s center inside the cancer hub will also have five mammography units, five ultrasound rooms and full imaging access.
- The new center will have two advanced linear accelerators for radiation oncology, with the potential to add a third, and will also have an in-house retail pharmacy and specialty pharmacy, according to Mount Sinai. It will offer a variety of support services, including a rehab gym and a meditation/respite room.
- Billionaire philanthropist and Citadel CEO Ken Griffin’ recently made a $15 million donation to Mount Sinai that is expected to help expand cancer research and treatment at the new cancer center and at the hospital’s west Hialeah location. The gift is the latest health care-related donation Griffin has made in South Florida since he announced he would move his Citadel headquarters to Miami in 2022.
What about wellness?
Like other South Florida hospitals, Mount Sinai has been looking for ways to expand its offerings to not just treat the person’s cancer but to support their mental health, too.
Mount Sinai offers a variety of therapies and programs to its cancer patients, including music, art and pet therapy. Patients can access mental health services, nutritionists, survivorship and other support groups and programs to help navigate their cancer journey. Santorio said those services, and the overall concept of wellness, helped fuel the vision for the hospital’s new cancer center, which will house a wig shop, a spa and a “cold cap room” where patients can undergo scalp cooling therapy to minimize hair loss.
Hospital leaders say wellness is also built into the center’s design, a concept that has picked up steam in the real estate and healthcare architecture industry in recent years. The University of Miami Health System’s Doral medical center, which opened last year, and its soon-to-open UHealth at SoLé Mia in North Miami-Dade are window-heavy to promote natural light and give patients panoramic views of Downtown Doral, and for SoLé Mia, views of the Atlantic Ocean and a man-made beachy lagoon.
The University of Miami Health System, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital and Memorial Healthcare System have all recently opened facilities that have open and airy designs, using windows, colors, gardens and other features to promote natural light and calmness, with a goal of reducing anxiety in patients.
At Mount Sinai’s new cancer hub, wherever patients are, there is view of the bay. Natural light fills the halls on every floor, even inside the MRI room. The large window in the MRI room, a feature Santorio and other leaders describe as unusual, serves two purposes: one, to help reduce claustrophobia in patients, and the other, to make it possible to use a crane to bring in the 25,000-pound machine.
A scenic meditation garden with trees and benches is also being created on a strip of land between Biscayne Bay and the center. The garden, which will have sculptures by Cuban American artist Rafael Domenech, can be seen from inside the lobby and from the lobby cafe. Patients and visitors can use the garden to get some fresh air — perhaps drink a cafecito while meditating with a view.
“The cafecito machine is connected to the generator,” Matt Barnard, who serves as Mount Sinai’s associate vice president of construction services, quipped as laughs broke out during the tour, reassuring everyone that the Miami staple will be available at the cafe.
Barnard, who pointed out different design aspects during the tour, said the design is not just about aesthetics. The natural light, open space, the greenery — it’s all made to help “patients disconnect from really why they’re here,” he said.
Even the art. A dangling sculpture by Susan Narduli that will be displayed above the lobby’s atrium, for example, is specifically designed in a way that would reduce dust, he said. It’s just one of the many factors that artists have to consider when creating artwork for hospitals, which have infectious disease control and cleanliness guidelines. He said the artwork will also play with the sun’s natural light, reflecting different colors onto the walls based on where the sun is and how much light comes in through the center’s many windows.
“It’s not just about treating a disease. It’s about keeping people healthy. And you can’t do that by taking a one-dimensional approach,” said Santorio.
This story was originally published August 30, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
