In February 2026, Matthew Love, president and CEO of Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, outlined a bold, coordinated effort to diagnose children faster and bring specialty care closer to families across South Florida. The plan blends precision medicine with digital services, upgraded surgical capacity and community-based prevention—aimed at shortening diagnostic journeys, expanding access to specialists and knitting hospital expertise into the broader regional care fabric.
At the heart of the strategy is a pragmatic use of genomics and telehealth. Genetic testing, molecular diagnostics and platform sequencing are being pushed out of the research lab and into routine clinical work so answers come sooner. Focused gene panels and streamlined lab pipelines are cutting through long “diagnostic odysseys,” letting clinicians move to targeted treatments more quickly. Multidisciplinary teams pair genomic data with clinical findings so decisions are made with greater confidence and earlier in a child’s course.
Speedy, actionable results change care in concrete ways: they reduce unnecessary procedures, shorten hospital stays and enable initiation of targeted therapies while families remain at home. To make that possible, the hospital is redesigning lab workflows to prioritize cases where rapid turnaround matters most and coupling reports with genetic counseling and coordinated follow-up—so parents aren’t left to decode complex results on their own.
Public support is helping push this work forward. The Florida Sunshine Genetics Pilot Program, a $3 million initiative backed by state leadership, is funding infrastructure upgrades, workforce training and expanded laboratory capacity. That injection of resources signals a broader commitment to pediatric genomics and helps ensure the testing volumes the region will need.
Nicklaus Children’s is also introducing child-centered technologies to ease the clinical experience. Virtual reality headsets, guided audiovisual programs and interactive distraction devices help reduce anxiety during imaging and other procedures. Early data suggest fewer children need sedation for routine scans, which improves safety, lowers costs and increases throughput. These nonpharmacologic tools are designed to complement standard care, and the hospital is measuring concrete outcomes—anesthesia use, procedure completion rates and physiologic stress markers—to quantify benefits.
Telehealth is another pillar. Better video quality, integrated electronic health records and more reliable connectivity have made remote visits substantively useful rather than just convenient. Virtual follow-ups, remote monitoring and teletriage cut down on travel, help maintain continuity after discharge and allow specialists to stay involved without repeated in-person visits. Clinicians, however, are realistic about limits: some exams and procedures still need hands-on assessment. The most effective programs create hybrid pathways—remote screening and monitoring paired with targeted, in-person appointments when necessary.
To extend specialty reach, the hospital is forging strategic partnerships with regional clinics, school-based health services and community providers. Shared referral protocols, remote case reviews and coordinated discharge planning let local clinicians access specialist input without uprooting families. Collaborations with organizations like Broward Health place subspecialty services closer to neighborhoods, improving appointment adherence and reducing emergency transfers. Academic links with Florida International University bolster training pipelines and support research into conditions that disproportionately affect the local population.
Growing services requires investing in people. Nicklaus Children’s is expanding residency and fellowship slots, aligning community rotations and offering targeted incentives to address shortages in high-need fields such as pediatric neurology. Training clinicians in the communities where they’ll work increases the likelihood they stay, and embedding trainees in local settings teaches them to manage social determinants of health alongside medical issues.
Prevention and outreach weave through the whole plan. Mobile clinics, school screening programs and public education campaigns target common pediatric risks before they escalate. Initiatives like Project ADAM, which trains school staff to respond to sudden cardiac arrest, demonstrate how spreading essential lifesaving skills builds Community resilience without expanding hospital beds. The hospital also connects families to social supports—food assistance, resource navigation and other services—so medical care doesn’t end at discharge.
Finally, the Kenneth C. Griffin Surgical Tower concentrates advanced pediatric surgery under one roof, with specialized operating suites for cardiac, neurosurgical, oncology and orthopedic cases. Co-locating teams and equipment reduces handoffs, speeds escalation when complications arise and strengthens multidisciplinary collaboration. With recruitment of subspecialized surgeons and perioperative staff, the tower aims to lower intersite transfers by keeping complex care centralized and coordinated.
At the heart of the strategy is a pragmatic use of genomics and telehealth. Genetic testing, molecular diagnostics and platform sequencing are being pushed out of the research lab and into routine clinical work so answers come sooner. Focused gene panels and streamlined lab pipelines are cutting through long “diagnostic odysseys,” letting clinicians move to targeted treatments more quickly. Multidisciplinary teams pair genomic data with clinical findings so decisions are made with greater confidence and earlier in a child’s course.0