UHealth Doral Expansion Provides Greater Access to Academic Medicine

World-class health care has entered an exciting new era with the expansion of UHealth Doral Medical Center in the heart of downtown Doral.

“When a patient comes here, what’s exciting is the minute they walk through the doors, it’s a warm, welcoming environment,” says Melissa Soto, executive director of Nursing at UHealth Doral.

UHealth Doral offers a multitude of services in this growing community.

“I think the importance of it, specifically in this community, is that we have a presence for the UHealth practice, here in Doral, we have a unique position within the South Florida community in order to provide state-of-the-art health care services,” David Kerman, M.D., Chief Medical Director of UHealth Doral says. “Patients can come in for clinics, can come in for procedures, can come in for day surgeries, their imaging services, CT, MRI, ultrasound.”

The expansion of UHealth Doral gives people in the community and surrounding areas greater access to academic based health care. This new state-of-the-art facility with its warm, welcoming design, was built with the patient in mind.

“It was wonderful that we were able to have our patients from our Patient and Family Advisory Council be a part of it. So, they actually put on the hard hats, they were active participants in the building design. It really feels very homey for the patient,” Soto says.

The six story, 160-thousand square foot facility offers top tier medical care all in one place.

“If one of my patients has a need to see a colorectal surgeon, they’re right down the hall, and we can really collaborate very closely with that kind of multidisciplinary care all under one roof,” says Dr. Kerman.

“For that mom who just dropped off their child, for that father who’s getting out of work, it gives that opportunity to receive that preventative care and that treatment that they might need,” Raquel Casuso, director of Facilities and Operation at UHealth Doral says.

The entire UHealth Doral team is ready to enhance the health and change the lives of those within the community it serves.

“The fact that we get to really bless lives on a daily basis of the people who need us. Those patients and families that are there, sometimes at their lowest moments, that we’re there to be able to take care of them – that’s what makes me excited to be here,” says DeDe Austin, Assistant Vice President of Ambulatory Services at UHealth Doral.

UHealth Doral is part of a plan to bring academic-based medicine to neighborhoods across South Florida.

“We want to make sure that every patient gets equal access and equal opportunity to high quality health care. Everybody deserves that,” Dr. Kerman says.

Video transcript compiled by Janna Ross for ‘Focusing on You: Innovations in Modern Medicine,’ a series of health care-related stories airing regularly on WPLG Local 10.  For more stories like this one, visit UHealth’s YouTube channel.

Tags: Dr. David Kerman, focusing on you, Melissa Soto, UHealth Doral, UHealth Doral expansion