Mount Sinai cancer center clears Miami Beach hurdle

Mount Sinai Medical Center’s Irma and Norman Braman Cancer Center in Miami Beach is on schedule and projected to open in September 2025.

This month, Mount Sinai Medical Center received approval from the City of Miami Beach Design Review Board, which is one of the principal components of getting the cancer center approved from a design standpoint, Gino Santorio, the medical center’s president & CEO, told Miami Today.

“We are very near to getting our permit for the parking garage expansion, which is part of the enabling project,” he said. “We’re finalizing the design development plan, which will be completed at the end of this month, and that includes all the interior design as well.”

The next step after that would be pricing out the design package over the next few weeks, Mr. Santorio said.

Based on fluctuations in cost, construction and supplies, this step is really an update that will put a total dollar amount on the design, he said.

“We’ve been able to navigate around that since we’re planning so far in advance,” Mr. Santorio added. “They’ve not been issues that we would have otherwise had to deal with. I think just the next big hurdle is really having the construction document development approvals, which will be done.”

The Irma and Norman Braman Cancer Center would occupy over 200,000 square feet and support the medical center’s physicians in cancer care for all patients. The center plans to also offer patients a multitude of support services to engage and promote a holistic approach to their well-being.

These include nutrition classes, physical therapy, massage, meditation classes, and a dedicated spa.

In the meantime, inpatients will continue to be treated at the current hospital, Mr. Santorio said.

In June, Dr. Steven Hochwald was named director of the estimated $275 million cancer center at 4300 Alton Road.

Dr. Hochwald is set to lead the way in advancing technological resources and developing clinical trials and multidisciplinary clinics for cancer patients. He will also serve as chief of surgical oncology and associate director of the Columbia University Medical Center and Mount Sinai Miami Cancer programs. Mount Sinai holds the only Ivy League affiliation of its kind in South Florida, which Columbia University backs.

Plans to carefully align services that provide synergy in patient care must be done for every service, including radiation oncology, medical oncology, surgery, phlebotomy, respiratory therapy and support services, Dr. Hochwald said at the time. “Our construction must reflect and enforce this patient-centered approach.”