Nicklaus Children’s Hospital today announced a $5 million gift from local philanthropists Michelle and Michael Hagerty that will establish a new unit to support the growing need for pediatric mental healthcare. In recognition of the generous gift, Nicklaus Children’s will name the Hagerty Family Behavioral Health Unit.
“There is no greater inspiration than a healthy child,” said Michelle and Michael Hagerty in a joint statement. “We feel very strongly about the mission of Nicklaus Children’s Hospital and the wonderful care they provide to children and adolescents, particularly in the area of mental health. Being parents of two children makes us very aware that there is no greater investment than the health and well-being of young lives. We are so grateful for Nicklaus Children’s Hospital and thank the doctors, nurses and medical staff. You truly are heroes every single day.”
The generous funds will support a 20-bed expansion for admitted patients, doubling the capacity of the current inpatient psychiatry unit. Enhancements will feature inviting, comfortable patient rooms, expansive dining areas and activity spaces for patients and their families. The psychiatry unit enhancements, expected to be completed later this year, will better serve the growing number of children who are being admitted to Nicklaus Children’s for mental health treatment.
Matthew A. Love, president and CEO of Nicklaus Children’s Health System, said, “We are so grateful to Michelle and Michael Hagerty for their continued commitment to Nicklaus Children’s and supporting us in meeting the needs of the children and families of our community and beyond. It is most fitting that the inpatient psychiatry unit bears their name.”
A ceremony commemorating the generous gift by the Hagertys will take place at the hospital once it is safe to do so.
This gift follows another $1 million gift made by the Hagertys in 2020 to support the hospital’s greatest needs. The high-profile courtyard area of the hospital campus was named the Michelle and Michael Hagerty Advanced Pediatric Care Pavilion (APCP) Plaza. The garden plaza outside the hospital’s APCP tower provides outdoor space for patient family members to gather and is a popular place for hospital staff members to enjoy breaks.
Michelle Hagerty serves on the board of directors of Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Foundation. She and her husband Michael reside in Boca Raton and are recognized philanthropists and advocates for children throughout the South Florida community.
To learn more about Nicklaus Children’s Psychiatry services and offerings, visit https://www.nicklauschildrens.org/medical-services/pediatric-psychiatry
About Nicklaus Children's Hospital, Where Your Child Matters Most ™ (2025)
For 75 years, Nicklaus Children's has stood as a beacon of hope for children and families across the state of Florida and beyond. Nicklaus Children's Hospital is South Florida's #1 nonprofit, freestanding specialty licensed hospital exclusively for children serving close to 70 percent of children in the Miami metropolitan community. In addition, Nicklaus Children's offers care within NCH North Hospital in Naples, Jupiter Medical Center's De George Pediatric Unit and select Baptist Health Hospital pediatric emergency units. The hospital and its network of more of nearly 35 outpatient care locations offer lifesaving care in in Miami-Dade, Broward, Martin, and Palm Beach counties. These outpatient locations include an array of urgent care, pediatric primary care, and subspecialty care centers and are either hospital-based or outpatient locations under Nicklaus Children's Pediatric Specialists, LLC (NCPS). Providing a pipeline of future physicians and groundbreaking research, Nicklaus Children's is an academic and clinical affiliate of Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. Nicklaus Children's is home to centers of excellence including the Helen & Jacob Shaham Cancer & Blood Disorders Institute, the Nicklaus Children's Orthopedics, Sports Health and Spine Institute, Nicklaus Children's Neuroscience Institute and Nicklaus Children's Heart Institute. The 325-bed hospital is renowned for excellence in all aspects of pediatric medicine, with many programs routinely ranked among the nation's best by U.S. News & World Report since 2008. Nicklaus Children's also includes a nonprofit physician practice subsidiary with over 40 specialties, and an ambulatory surgery center.