A wave of extraordinary private giving is remaking South Florida’s medical landscape, with donors pouring nine-figure sums into hospitals, research centers and medical schools across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, CBS12 reported in a June examination of the trend.
Among the largest commitments: Dr. Herbert Wertheim’s $100 million to Baptist Health South Florida for a cancer institute and research center, according to CBS12.
No donor has spread money more widely than Citadel founder Ken Griffin, who relocated his firm to Miami in 2022. His South Florida health care gifts include $50 million to Baptist Health for Alzheimer’s and neurodegenerative disease research, $50 million to the University of Miami’s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center for a 12-story research facility, $25 million to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital for a pediatric surgical tower, $15 million to Mount Sinai Medical Center for its cancer center expansion, $10 million to UHealth’s digestive health division and $3 million to Ronald McDonald House Charities, per CBS12.
Medical Education Gets Its Share
The giving extends to the classroom. Helen and Jacob Shaham committed $30 million to Florida International University’s College of Medicine for an academic medical center — on top of $15 million to Nicklaus Children’s Cancer & Blood Disorders Institute — while John and Ann Wood gave $28 million to Florida Atlantic University for medical school scholarships and David Husman gave $20 million to Nova Southeastern University for an ALS research institute, according to the report. Broward Health received $5.2 million from the Henry E. Haller Jr. Foundation for cardiac labs at its Fort Lauderdale flagship.
Philanthropy leaders trace the surge partly to the pandemic. “COVID brought home the fact that you need extraordinary good healthcare where you live,” Baptist Health Foundation CEO Alexandra Villoch told CBS12, describing the gifts as investments in the community’s future rather than traditional charity. Loreen Chant, president and CEO of the Health Foundation of South Florida, said philanthropic leaders recognize that investments in hospitals, medical education and research create lasting regional benefits.
The momentum has continued into the summer: on Aug. 3, Baptist Health Foundation announced a $1 million gift from Julio C. and Alexandra Herrera for maternal and neonatal care. For patients, the payoff is measured in new towers, expanded trial access and specialists who no longer require a flight north — a quiet transformation funded gift by gift.
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