The year 2025 marks the 75th anniversary of Nicklaus Children’s Hospital. This is a historical timeline of a small specialty hospital for children that grew to become a nationally ranked pediatric hospital, and the region’s only health care system exclusively for children. The name has changed over the years, but its legacy lives on in the lives of the countless children and families whose lives have been impacted by the work of the “angel” doctors and nurses at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital. 1950 Doors Open: On March 20, 1950, Variety Children’s Hospital opens to the public. 1955 The Polio Years: 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. 1958 Teaching Hospital: The hospital becomes a teaching hospital to prepare doctors in the field of pediatrics. 1964 Expansion: Variety Children’s Hospital begins a $2.5 million expansion, increasing its bed count and adding new outpatient facilities. 1965 ICU: The hospital opens its first intensive care unit. 1979 Child Life: The hospital created the first Child Life programs, providing child development experts to enhance the care experience. 1983 A New Name: Variety Children’s Hospital is renamed Miami Children’s Hospital and its steady march to international prominence begins. 1986 Expanding Facilities: A new, 231,000-square-foot hospital is dedicated, featuring a free-standing pediatric trauma center, which is one of only two in the region. 1991 Bone Marrow Transplants: Miami Children’s Hospital opens a Bone Marrow Transplant Unit. 1992 Research: The hospital’s George E. Batchelor Research and Academic Pavilion opens. 1995 CICU: The Heart Program at Miami Children’s Hospital expanded with the opening of the region’s first pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. Hospital Highlight: 75th Anniversary 1996 Flight Transport: The hospital’s critical care transport program was renamed LifeFlight TM after a helicopter was added to the ground transport to bring critically ill children to the hospital for care. 2001 Brain Institute: Miami Children’s Hospital Brain Institute is founded to serve the neurological and neurosurgical needs of children. 2010 Palm Beach Expansion: The opening of the first Care Center in Palm Beach County. 2012 Telemedicine: A new Telehealth Command Center opens on the main campus enabling the hospital to serve children around the world. 2015 A New Name: 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 One Brand: 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, Jack and Barbara Nicklaus. 2024 State-of-the-Art Operating Rooms: Opening of the Kenneth C. Griffin Surgical Tower. 2025 Nicklaus Children’s Hospital celebrates a 75-year legacy of providing pediatric excellence.
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