Nicklaus Children's Health System (NCHS) has received an A+ bond rating from Fitch Ratings and an A rating from Standard and Poor’s. The health system, which includes a nonprofit 309-bed freestanding children's hospital and an expansive network of pediatric outpatient centers extending throughout South Florida, was also recognized by the agencies as having a positive (Fitch) and stable (Standard and Poor’s) outlook for the future.
“We are delighted that both rating agencies issued an improvement in our credit rating and outlook,” said Matthew A. Love, President and CEO. “This achievement is a tribute to the hard work of our entire Nicklaus Children’s Health System family, and our shared focus on employees, operational fundamentals and strategic growth. Maintaining a strong financial position in the marketplace enables us to advance our mission to expand access to quality care for children in our community and beyond,” he said.
The health system was recognized for its strong business position in pediatric healthcare, an expanding ambulatory footprint and increased hospital affiliations in the region. In January 2021, the health system implemented a three-year strategic plan to guide it toward the future and has already made significant strides toward achieving key goals set forth in the plan.
Among accomplishments highlighted in the rating agency analyses, the health system resumed its historic profitability in 2020, after a dip in 2019. A new leadership team which joined the organization in late 2019 and early 2020 has helped lead this transformation.
About Nicklaus Children's Hospital, Where Your Child Matters Most ™ (2025)
Nicklaus Children's Hospital is South Florida's #1 nonprofit, freestanding specialty licensed hospital exclusively for children. With more than 850 physicians, including over 500 pediatric subspecialists, the hospital and its network of outpatient centers and offices serve close to 70 percent of children in the Miami market. The only "where your child matters most™,” Nicklaus Children's is home to the region's most advanced Kenneth C. Griffin Surgical Tower, and its centers of excellence Helen & Jacob Shaham Cancer & Blood Disorders Institute, the Nicklaus Children’s Orthopedics, Sports Health and Spine Institute, Nicklaus Children’s Brain Institute and Nicklaus Children’s Heart Institute. The Nicklaus Children's Hospital's Transfer Center, Nick4Kids, and LifeFlight are responsible for transporting and saving close to 5,000 lives a year. Our 325-bed hospital, which is renowned for excellence in all aspects of pediatric medicine, has many specialty programs routinely ranked among the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report since 2008. Nicklaus Children's is also home to the largest pediatric teaching program in the southeastern United States and since 2003 has been designated an American Nursing Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet facility, the nursing profession's most prestigious institutional honor. For more information, please visit www.nicklauschildrens.org.