Boston Children's Hospital, the top pediatric hospital in the United States, is considering an expansion to West Palm Beach, where it could open a pediatric hospital to serve the area's growing population of young families,according to four sources familiar with the plan.
Although a final decision hasn't yet been made on the move, the search for a downtown site already is taking place. Properties in and around the Clear Lake District, stretching from Australian Avenue east to near CityPlace, and south to land near the Tri-Rail station, are being eyed, according to real estate sources.
Boston Children's Hospital also is marshaling financial support for the venture.
Groups are being formed to raise money for the hospital, and several Palm Beach philanthropists
already are willing to contribute, according to sources in the medical, real estate and philanthropic communities.
Many philanthropists, especially from the Northeast, are familiar with Boston Children's reputation.
In 2026, Boston Children's Hospital was ranked the Best Children's Hospital in the United States by U.S. News & World Report. The report also singled out Boston Children's expertise in pediatric cardiac surgery, cardiology and endocrinology.
Boston Children's Hospital is the main pediatric teaching and research hospital affiliated with Harvard Medical School.
A Boston Children's Hospital spokesperson declined to comment on Sept. 1.
New residents want a premier children's hospital, business leader says
The need for a Palm Beach County nonprofit children's hospital is acute, one business leader said.
Since the 2020 pandemic, the population migration to Palm Beach County from the Northeast has brought not only retirement-age residents but also professionals with young families.
"We are seeing younger executives with two or three children. The same need that is driving private schools is driving the need for premier healthcare," said Kelly Smallridge, president of the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County, the county's business recruitment arm.
Smallridge said she regularly meets with executives weighing a move to Palm Beach County, and top pediatric services are a key factor for them and their families, who also want a nonprofit research hospital nearby. However, there is no nonprofit pediatric hospital in Palm Beach County.
The closest one is 53 miles from downtown West Palm Beach at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood. Farther south, in Miami, there is the Nicklaus Children's Hospital, which is 77 miles away.
Palm Beach County does have one children's hospital, Palm Beach Children's Hospital, adjacent to St. Mary's Medical Center on 45th Street in West Palm Beach. But the hospital is for-profit, part of the Tenet Healthcare based in Dallas.
In addition, St. Mary's does not offer the breadth of pediatric specialty services, such as cardiothoracic surgery, provided by Nicklaus and Joe DiMaggio.
Meanwhile, the nonprofit Jupiter Medical Center in Jupiter no longer offers inpatient treatment for children who need to be hospitalized.
Could Cleveland Clinic help with the venture?
For a time, Boston Children's Hospital even looked into co-locating with Cleveland Clinic at its new planned West Palm Beach hospitalat 400 and 450 S. Australian Ave., one source said. However, the word is that site isn't considered large enough to accommodate two hospital systems. Cleveland Clinic had not responded to an inquiry as of Sept. 1.
Cleveland Clinic and Boston Children's Hospital are no strangers to each other. In 2017, they struck a deal to partner on pediatric cardiac care at Cleveland Clinic's Children's Hospital in Cleveland.
In South Florida, where Cleveland Clinic's Florida operations are based in Weston, Cleveland Clinic does not treat children.
Boston Hospital could join other health systems expanding to county
Boston Children's Hospital is a leader in several children's medical specialties, including pediatric nephrology, urology, gastroenterology and neurology, according to U.S. News & World Report.
Boston Children's main campus is in Boston, but it has several satellite locations throughout Massachusetts. An expansion to West Palm Beach would mark the health care provider's first stand-alone hospital outside that state.
But this isn't the first pediatric hospital system seeking to expand its presence in Palm Beach County.
In 2019, Joe DiMaggio opened a stand-alone clinic in Wellington. Hospital executives expected the center to cater mostly to children injured in sports, especially equestrian activities, in the Wellington area. Hospital officials were surprised when parents began asking for other specialty care services, which Joe DiMaggio subsequently added.
Boston Children's Hospital also isn't the first out-of-state health care provider to seek a toehold in Palm Beach County either. Other providers have established medical offices in the county and several plan to expand.
These non-profit providers includeNYU Langone Health, Northwell Health and Mount Sinai New York. They also include Mass General Brigham, which is partnering with Tampa General Hospital and recently opened a radiation oncology facility in Palm Beach Gardens.
As for Cleveland Clinic, the Ohio-based provider is doing more than building downtown West Palm Beach's first new hospital in more than 100 years. The provider also plans to quadruple its medical office space downtown to offer patients more services, including outpatient surgeries.
Alexandra Clough is a business writer at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at aclough@pbpost.com. X: @acloughpbp. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Boston Children's Hospital eyes expansion to West Palm | Exclusive
