UHealth SoLe Mia Medical Center has officially opened in North Miami, expanding the University of Miami Health System’s outpatient services to residents of Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties. The new facility aims to centralize a wide range of medical care for patients in the region.
Vandana Pathak, Assistant Vice President of Ambulatory Services at UHealth SoLe Mia, emphasized the collaborative approach taken during the center’s development. “The number one thing that makes this place so special is it wasn’t just me designing the building. We had hundreds and hundreds of staff members, as well as patients and family members, as well as the community. Really the design is a catalyst for excellent patient care,” Pathak said.
Chris Loulan, Executive Director of Nursing and Operations, described the center as a comprehensive site for outpatient services. “SoLe Mia is UHealth’s ambulatory care expansion into the North Miami area. We are a one-stop shop that will allow patients to have all of their outpatient care in one place, their doctors’ appointments, their cancer care, and even outpatient surgery,” Loulan stated.
Chief Medical Director Lindsay Thornton, M.D., highlighted several specialty offerings available at UHealth SoLe Mia: “That includes Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, where patients will have access to the latest clinical trials as well as precision oncology, as well as Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, where there’ll be top-notch surgical techniques and advanced medicine, as well as Desai Sethi Urology Institute. We’re going to have a whole host of medical specialties, including primary care, cardiology and endocrinology.”
The 370,000 square foot facility features academic-based medicine and includes a partnership with Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) to enhance orthopedic care options. Dr. Thornton noted: “It leverages HSS’s world-class orthopedic care… as well as UHealth’s multidisciplinary orthopedic care, as well as their Sports Medicine Institute.”
Patient-centered design was an important focus during construction. Pathak explained: “So, it’s really, really important to create that environment both physically and emotionally to support care and healing.”
Loulan also pointed out that UHealth’s Nursing Team has received Magnet with Distinction status—the highest recognition for nursing excellence—stating: “Magnet organizations have better patient outcomes, they have better patient safety, they have higher patient satisfaction ratings. They have highly skilled and empowered nursing staff, and they have happy nursing staff, and most of all, they have greater organizational excellence overall.”
Pathak summarized the goal behind opening UHealth SoLe Mia: “All the healthcare you need under one roof, and close to home.”
The opening marks an expansion of specialized healthcare services in South Florida through an academic health system model.
