To celebrate 75 years in service, each day we are sharing stories from patients, employees, volunteers, and our community. Check out today's story and share your own!
Story #129: Suzie's Lifetime of Giving VIEW STORY >
1950: On March 20, 1950, Variety Children's Hospital opens to the public, fulfilling the vision of Dr. Arthur Weiland, who along with the members of the South Florida Crippled Childrens' Society fundraised and organized acquisition of land for the new hospital.
1955: Just as the polio epidemic was encompassing the United States, Variety Children’s Hospital was soon deemed the southern center for children suffering from polio. In 1955, Dr. Jonas Salk develops the cure for the disease.
1958: The hospital becomes a teaching hospital to prepare doctors in the field of pediatrics.
1960: Variety Children's Hospital becomes a haven for young Cuban refugee children who need medical care.
1963: Variety Children's Hospital begins a $2.5 million expansion, increasing its bed count and adding new outpatient facilities.
1965: The hospital opens its first intensive care unit.
1965: The hospital offers the first post-graduate training course in pediatrics. Today the annual conference draws pediatricians from around the world.
1979: The hospital creates the first Child Life program, providing child development experts to enhance the care experience of patients.
1982: When Miami community leader Ambassador David M. Walters lost his precious granddaughter to leukemia, he vowed that no child would ever need to leave South Florida to receive the highest caliber of medical care. In 1982, Ambassador Walters activated Miami Children's Health Foundation to meet that pledge, making possible the expansion of many programs needed to meet the needs of the children of South Florida.
1983: Variety Children's Hospital is renamed Miami Children's Hospital, its steady march to international prominence begins.
1986: A new 231,000 square-foot hospital is dedicated, featuring a freestanding pediatric trauma center, one of only two in the region.
1991: Miami Children's opens a Bone Marrow Transplant Unit.
1992: The hospital's George E. Batchelor Research and Academic Pavilion opens.
1995: The Heart Program at Miami Children's Hospital expanded with the opening of the region's first pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit.
1996: Miami Children's Hospital becomes the first hospital in the United States to offer Radio Lollipop, an in-house radio station.
1996: The hospital's critical care transport program was renamed LifeFlight™ after a helicopter was added to the ground transport fleet to bring critically ill children to the hospital for care.
1998: Miami Children's Hospital Dan Marino Outpatient Center opens in Weston, Florida.
2001: Miami Children's Brain Institute is founded to serve the neurological and neurosurgical needs of children.
2003: The hospital becomes one of the first pediatric facilities in the nation to achieve Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). The Magnet designation recognizes nursing staff for meeting the rigorous quality indicators and standards of nursing practice as defined by the American Nurses Association’s Scope and Standards for Nurse Administrators.
2006: Miami Children's Hospital affiliates with Florida International University College of Medicine to support pediatric medical education.
2008: Miami Children's Hospital Doral Outpatient Center begins serving patients.
2009: The Michael Fux Family Center opens on the main campus, offering services and conveniences to delight patient families, including a movie theater, laundry facilities, kitchen, library and more.
2010: Miami Children's forges what becomes a transformational relationship with the Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation, leading to the opening of the Miami Children's Nicklaus Care Center in western Palm Beach county.
2011: Together For The Children, The Campaign For Miami Children's, a capital campaign, is launched to support development of the Advanced Pediatric Care Pavilion and other endeavors.
2012: Miami Children's opens three new outpatient centers, including Miami Children's Nicklaus Outpatient Center in Legacy Place, Palm Beach Gardens, Miami Children's Midtown Outpatient Center and Miami Children's Miramar Outpatient Center.
2012: A new Telehealth Command Center opens on the main campus, enabling the hospital to serve children around the world.
2012: Miami Children's Hospital breaks ground on the planned 212,000 square-foot Advanced Pediatric Care Pavilion. The new structure offers an enhanced care environment for children receiving critical care treatment and their families.
2013: Miami Children's Health System is established as the umbrella organization for the hospital, the network of outpatient centers, the employed physician group and several business ventures.
2015: Miami Children's Hospital is renamed Nicklaus Children's Hospital, in honor of a $60 million pledge from the Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation.
2017: Miami Children’s Health System undergoes a name change to align the health system with the branding and identity of its flagship, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital. The health system becomes Nicklaus Children’s Health System in recognition of the continued support from the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation and its founders, golf icon Jack Nicklaus and his wife Barbara.
2019: Nicklaus Children’s Hospital has announced the successful completion of its ISO 9001 Quality Management System certification by DNV GL. Nicklaus Children’s is the second freestanding children’s hospital in the nation to obtain this certification.
2020: For more than 70 years, Nicklaus Children's Hospital has provided state-of-the-art pediatric care for South Florida's children. Founded in 1950 as Variety Children's Hospital, the renowned medical institution was renamed Nicklaus Children's Hospital in 2015, following a generous pledge from the Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation.