Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Tuesday celebrated the official opening of Kenneth C. Griffin Surgical Tower. As one of the most innovative pediatric surgical facilities in the United States, Griffin Surgical Tower combines leading-edge technology with a focus on delivering a compassionate patient experience to ensure that children and adolescents don’t have to leave Florida for expert pediatric surgical care. (View Our Photo Gallery)
The five-story, 131,000 square-foot facility is equipped with 12 advanced and fully integrated operating suites used to perform even the most complex pediatric surgeries. Pediatric surgical offerings include trauma care, surgical cancer interventions, and pediatric plastic and reconstructive surgeries including cleft lip-and-palate, orthopedic and spine, brain and heart surgeries.
“Today’s grand opening of Nicklaus Children’s Hospital’s Kenneth C. Griffin Surgical Tower marks a historic moment in our 75-year legacy,” said Matthew A. Love, president and CEO of Nicklaus Children’s Health System, the hospital’s parent organization. “The Griffin Surgical Tower connects advanced technology with world-class surgeons to deliver expert, compassionate care to children and families. We are grateful to Mr. Griffin and all our donors for helping us create the future of pediatric healthcare right here in South Florida.”
“Nicklaus’ team of extraordinary healthcare professionals will ensure that this institution continues to be a beacon of hope and healing for children from South Florida and around the world,” said Kenneth C. Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel and founder of Griffin Catalyst. “I am proud to support Nicklaus in building a future where every child can access the world-class care that they deserve.”
The Griffin Surgical Tower is named after Mr. Griffin in recognition of his historic $25 million gift announced in 2023. Mr. Griffin’s gift – one of the largest single donations in the hospital’s 75-year history – has helped fund surgical care programs, technology and services, with support also benefiting Nicklaus Children’s four major institutes advancing pediatric care related to the brain, cancer and blood disorders, the heart, and orthopedics.
“We want to personally thank everyone at Nicklaus Children’s for their vision and commitment to this project from day one,” said Jack Nicklaus. “We also want to thank Ken Griffin for his very generous gift to help make Griffin Surgical Tower possible. This really puts Nicklaus Children’s in a league of their own when it comes to excellence in patient care.”
Through the Griffin Surgical Tower Fund and Griffin Surgical Tower Naming Opportunities you can directly participate in expanding access to the best care for kids in South Florida and beyond.
The enhanced 800-square-foot operating suites feature the latest surgical technology including lighting features that allow for adjustments based on surgical procedures, sterilization by integrated UV lighting, as well as rapid, precise hypothermic changing technology to warm or cool a patient’s temperature quickly when needed. In addition, the operating suites are equipped with intraoperative monitoring and streaming for surgical education, along with monitors that allow clinicians to access any information needed while in the room. Home to one of the largest teaching programs in the Southeast, these tools will allow Nicklaus Children’s to continue to develop future clinicians for generations to come. In addition, these same monitors can be used to create an immersive theater-like experience for patients by displaying a movie or virtual reality game to help alleviate anxiety until they are under anesthesia.
The facility is also equipped with the Medtronic O-arm® StealthStation® S8® Surgical System for Neurosurgery, an intraoperative 2D/3D imaging device that when used in combination with a surgical navigation system, allows surgeons to view in real-time the location of implant devices relative to the patient’s anatomy, confirming optimal placement of hardware while surgery is in progress. Nicklaus Children’s Hospital will be the first pediatric facility in the Southeast to offer a unique feature to the Medtronic O-arm® StealthStation® S8®, Spine Smart Dose. This technology uses machine learning with existing O-arm™ images to reduce radiation by up to 70 percent in cases for both patients and medical staff. Other surgical technologic systems include the Zeiss® microscope robotic visualization system and the DaVinci® robotic system for minimally invasive surgery.
Keily, an 11-month-old girl born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate, was the first child to undergo an operation at Kenneth C. Griffin Surgical Tower on September 26. To learn more about Keily’s story, visit https://nicklauschildrens.org/keily.
Uniquely designed for the most complex medical cases, Nicklaus Children’s serves a diverse population of nearly half a million pediatric patients a year, including 100,000 children who need emergency attention and many who require life-saving treatment and surgery. With nearly 70 percent of its patients insured by Medicaid, Nicklaus Children’s relies on philanthropic support to continue to provide the best care.
In partnership with the hospital’s foundation, Nicklaus Children’s is building momentum for the next phase of its story with the official launch of the comprehensive campaign, Forward for Generations, at the annual Diamond Ball gala on Saturday, October 26 at Loews Miami Beach. The most ambitious Campaign in the hospital’s history, Forward for Generations is raising vital funds to transform the future of children’s healthcare through clinical innovations like Griffin Surgical Tower, with the belief that healthy communities begin with healthy children.