A gleaming new building now greets people at 13101 South Dixie Highway where the old Post Office used to stand. The four-story structure holds Baptist Health South Florida’s latest hub-based primary care facility. The building also hosts other medical practices and physicians, including South Florida ENT, HeartWell and Kings Bay Pediatrics.
Baptist’s Director of Physician Practice Operations Chris Grant explains, “In our world, a hub facility means we have multiple disciplines and specialties all designed to work together in one space. In this facility we have primary care, ambulatory spine medicine, sports medicine and endocrinology, all centered around the hub in their own pod workspaces.”
Chris Grant added, “This is our envisioned primary care redesign. We took all our knowledge from prior facilities and looked at best practices from around the globe to reach this suite design. You’ll see vast open spaces, no glass enclosures to separate you from the medical staff, collaborative spaces and plenty of windows. We also have passages designed to make it easy for staff to easily reach other team members.”
My tour of the facility showed the thought put into all aspects of the design. The discipline hubs flowed into each other yet functioned as independent operation centers. Exam rooms were roomy and equipped with computers that helped doctors stay in the room, rather than have to seek information and patient records elsewhere. There is on-site blood spinning and diagnostics. The facility also boasts state-of-the-art radiology equipment. Finally, the doctors work from desks in an open suite environment instead of in offices with doors.
Both Baptist’s hub facility and Kings Bay Pediatrics actually started operations on January 9, 2017 and it is expected that the entire building will be occupied by medical practitioners and fully operational by mid-June. On February 21, Baptist held a grand opening event for neighborhood VIPs to get a tour.
Besides the building’s attention to facility layout, the parking is also designed to be convenient. There is a huge, covered porte-cochere for drop off and hundreds of spaces, most of which are covered and conveniently located close to the entrances.
Grant concluded, “We are thrilled to be in Pinecrest and we believe our building enhances and reflects the community. In every respect, it has been a true partnership between Baptist Heal Primary Care and Pinecrest.”
72nd Avenue Block Party
Just north of SW 144th Street is a short section of 72nd Avenue with some friendly neighbors. In February, everyone met outside their homes to enjoy a good, old-fashioned block party. This is now an annual tradition; this being the second.
Dozens of families talked, walk around and ate amazing potluck food, including that of Les Oppenheim (Catering By Les). I can tell you his Philly Cheesesteaks were out of this world, and I’m from Philadelphia. Residents were quick to point out that they had invited people from the surrounding area to enjoy their special day.
Several dignitaries were on hand, including Palmetto Bay Councilwoman Karyn Cunningham, Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava, Fire Chief Dave Downey, Palmetto Bay Police Commander Gady Serralta, Palmetto Bay Councilman David Singer and former Palmetto Bay Mayor Shelley Stanczyk.
Fire-Rescue personnel showed off their engines and jumped in on the block party too. Anthony Gorman was especially happy the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Station 62 was nearby, “They have visited and treated me twice since they moved into the neighborhood. I would likely not be standing here enjoying this day if they weren’t here!”
Fire Chief Downey iterated, “Our response time is what allows us to save lives. We now have coverage of northeast Palmetto Bay and SE Pinecrest. We’ll always look for new locations that will improve our response to the greatest number of citizens. Our personnel understand and respect the communities we’re in and we believe in being great neighbors.”
Real Estate Update
The average number of days to sell a house in Pinecrest has increased YoY from 96 days in February 2016 to 124 this February. In Palmetto Bay, average days on market was 99 in 2016 compared to 150 today. Inventory is growing as well. This means its tougher to get sold and we are in a buyer’s market. Let me assist you with local expertise, realistic expectations and guidance to get to wherever is ‘next’ for you. It’s easy to get started at miamihal.com/myvalue.
Hal Feldman (MiamiHal) is a Realtor with RE/MAX Advance Realty. You can contact him with your story ideas or real estate questions at www.MiamiHal.com, Hal@MiamiHal.com or www.facebook.com/MiamiHal.
