UHealth Breaks Ground on New North Miami Location

UHealth at SoLé Mia to open in early 2025.

After a pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, UHealth – University of Miami Health System took major steps toward its planned future, breaking ground on a world-class medical center at SoLé Mia, the 184-acre mixed-use development in North Miami, a joint venture between highly respected real estate developers LeFrak and Turnberry.

A groundbreaking ceremony on September 9 included various guests from UHealth’s Board of Trustees and medical leadership team, the LeFrak family, Jackie Soffer of Turnberry, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, and City of North Miami Mayor Philippe Bien-Aime.

The medical center will offer the communities of North Miami, Aventura, and the surrounding areas access to academic medicine focused on healing, wellness, and prevention, delivered by some of the brightest minds in medicine.

The seven-story, 363,000-square-foot medical center will include cancer specialists from Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, the only cancer center in South Florida to earn designation from the National Cancer Institute; advanced vision care from the No. 1 ranked eye hospital in the country, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute; urological treatments from the Desai Sethi Urology Institute; top-notch care from nationally ranked neurology and neurosurgery programs; and specialties such as cardiology, endocrinology, otolaryngology, gastroenterology, dermatology, physical rehabilitation, and others.

“As the only academic health system in South Florida, it is our mission to transform lives in our community and around the world by delivering high-quality health care and innovation,” said Dr. Julio Frenk, president of the University of Miami. “This new facility, with the highly specialized care it will offer, builds upon the longstanding partnerships the University has in South Florida.”

World-Class Facility for Local Community

When completed in early 2025, UHealth at SoLé Mia will be the health system’s largest ambulatory site to date. It will feature 110 exam rooms, 10 operating rooms, 33 clinical treatment units for cancer patients, open green space including a reflection garden, and views of the ocean and lagoon that will enhance the experience for patients receiving extended services.

SoLé Mia, Miami’s next city within a city, is the ultimate destination in North Miami. The expansiveness of the site has provided LeFrak and Turnberry the opportunity to create a vibrant community of residential, retail, and other commercial options while emphasizing recreation and well-being amid SoLé Mia’s more than 30 acres of open space.

“UHealth at SoLé Mia will set the standard for top-flight health care in this community,” added Dipen J. Parekh, M.D., chief operating officer of UHealth, founding director of the Desai Sethi Urology Institute, and executive director of clinical affairs at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. “Building this iconic facility will improve access to health care for everyone in this region, which is in line with our mission of advancing medicine and serving more patients.”

Vital Investment in Economy

UHealth at SoLé Mia is scheduled to open in 2025. At that time, more than $1.2 billion will have been invested in infrastructure and development in SoLé Mia, creating thousands of jobs in the North Miami community.

“I’m extremely positive about the growth of South Florida and North Miami which will impact and accelerate the development of SoLé Mia, contributing to the economy of the county and the region,” said Richard LeFrak, chair and CEO of LeFrak. “UHealth at SoLé Mia is an important addition to our master planned community that will also include state-of-the-art residences, shopping, dining, open space. Now, our residents will have access to the highest quality health care.”

Jackie Soffer, chair and CEO of Turnberry, said, “With its world-class medical care, the University of Miami Health System is one of the vital amenities that will make it possible for Miami-Dade to continue to grow and thrive. Moreover, the addition of UHealth at SoLé Mia will enrich the surrounding community of North Miami, and further strengthen its appeal as a place to live and work.

“We were so pleased to welcome President Frenk and Mayors Levine Cava and Bien-Aime to SoLé Mia to mark this important milestone,” Soffer said.

Mayor Levine Cava praised the project and its community-based design. Her previous professional experience made her “profoundly aware of the critical need for quality health care, and for that care to be accessible to all,” she said.

“This visionary space, this gem in the making demonstrates a commitment to a community that is all about healthy lifestyle, and one now anchored by a world-class health institution.”

Tags: Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Desai Sethi Urology Institute, Dr. Dipen Parekh, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, Mayor Philippe Bien-Aime, Miller School of Medicine, President Julio Frenk, SoLé Mia, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, UHealth