Celebrate the history of Broward County’s first healthcare system.
Join us as we commemorate the history of one of South Florida’s leading healthcare providers.
More advanced facilities. More impactful innovations.
A lot has changed since 1938, but one thing never will – our dedication to providing the highest-quality care for the people who call South Florida home.
1930s
Broward Population: 20,000
The Great Depression hit the world hard during the 1930s. About 40,000 Floridians joined the Civilian Conservation Corps, living in work camps for food, clothing and money.
1938 Featured
On January 2, 1938, Broward General Hospital opened in Fort Lauderdale after being converted from the 16-unit Granada Apartments to serve the county’s population of 25,000. The hospital started with two operating rooms, seven nurses, one dietician and no air conditioning. Broward General is now called Broward Health Medical Center.
1938
Thirteen days after the hospital opened, the first baby was born at Broward General. In the 1930s, births began shifting from homes to hospitals.
1940s
Broward Population: 39,800
With the start of WWII, Florida became a major training ground for American GIs. Many hotels were converted to military barracks and make-shift hospitals. During the war, Port Everglades was a military base for the U.S. Navy.
1941 Featured
A group of local women volunteers founded the Broward General Hospital Auxiliary. The organization went on to fund major capital improvement projects, including heart surgery equipment, a chapel, and one of the nation’s first radiation cancer treatment centers.
1942
Broward General was the first hospital in Broward County to offer a dedicated pediatric unit.
1950s
Broward Population: 84,000
Medical advancements of the 1950s included the polio vaccine and the synthesis and mass production of penicillin, which is considered one of the most important medications of all time.
1957
Broward General received a mechanical respirator called the Iron Lung used to assist patient breathing.
1958 Featured
Responding to the county's exponential population growth, the hospital district broke ground on North Broward Hospital on November 25. The Deerfield Beach hospital is known today as Broward Health North.
1960s
Broward Population: 334,000
In 1965, the Surgeon General determined that smoking was a health hazard. During that time, nearly half of Americans were regular smokers.
1961 Featured
North Broward Hospital admitted its first patient in March. The hospital had only three floors when it opened its doors. Three years later, four additional floors were added.
1964
Following the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Broward General began desegregation and welcomed its first Black patients
1970s
Broward Population: 620,000
A turbulent decade, the 1970s were marked by the Vietnam War, Watergate and the final Beatles album that offered “Let It Be.”
1972 Featured
Imperial Point Medical Center opened as a 204-bed community hospital on 22 acres of land in Fort Lauderdale. It is now called Broward Health Imperial Point.
1977
Broward County's first Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) opened at Broward General.
1980s
Broward Population: 1,018,000
During the 1980s, the Berlin Wall crumbled, new computer technologies emerged and blockbuster movies and MTV reshaped pop culture and revolutionized the music industry.
1983
In response to the emerging HIV/AIDS epidemic, the district became the first health system in Broward County to offer a complete network of HIV/AIDS outpatient services.
1987 Featured
Coral Springs Medical Center, now known as Broward Health Coral Springs, opened in March to meet the healthcare needs of western Broward County's expanding population. The hospital's first baby was born a few days later.
1990s
Broward Population: 1,255,500
In the 1990s, the internet was born, prompting unprecedented growth in communication and education, forever changing how all populations and industries would communicate.
1996 Featured
Chris Evert Children’s Hospital opened, offering a full-service pediatric hospital within Broward General.
1999
The Broward Health Foundation was established, raising funds to provide resources to promote, support, and enhance the programs and initiatives of Broward Health.
2000s
Broward Population: 1,623,000
The September 11, 2001, coordinated terrorist attacks against the United States led to increased expressions of patriotism and demands for heightened national security.
2003
The Lisa Boccard Breast Cancer fund was established at Coral Springs Medical Center to provide free mammograms to women in financial need.
2005 Featured
A $150 million atrium expansion added 485,000 square feet to Broward General, providing space for a new ER and critical care areas.
2010s
Broward Population: 1,753,000
In 2010, an earthquake struck Haiti, killing 200,000 and injuring 300,000. The U.S. military evacuated hundreds of patients to South Florida hospitals while Broward Health medical staff were flown to Haiti to care for patients on site.
2011
The Broward Health International program opened with the first emergency air evacuation.
2018 Featured
The South Tower expansion at Broward Health Coral Springs opened with all private suites for labor & delivery, mother/baby, NICU and surgical patients. The expansion increased bed capacity from 196 to 250.
2020s
Broward Population: 1,966,000
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 mandated wearing face masks, quarantining and social distancing. Entire countries shut down and implemented lockdowns with only essential services in operation.
2021
A $52 million NICU expansion was completed at Broward Health Medical Center. It included 70 private units where families can stay overnight with their newborn babies.
2021 Featured
The system erected a vaccination site at Inter Miami CF Stadium and gave more than 110,000 COVID-19 vaccinations to employees, medical staff and the community.
Be Part of Our Legacy. Start Today to Shape Tomorrow.
Start today at Broward Health
View our available roles and consider how your special abilities could help Broward Health achieve even greater success in the future.
Shape tomorrow with Broward Health Foundation
Our foundation has made incredible advancements possible. Your support will drive our momentum for the next 85 years and beyond.