Newsroom

Lower Keys Medical Center has named Felix “Drew” Bigby as its new chief executive officer, effective April 28. Bigby is a 29-year Navy veteran with more than 35 years of experience in healthcare administration, including the successful management of major health systems and community hospitals in the U.S. and abroad. Most recently, Bigby served as chief administrative officer of Providence-Swedish Health Services in Seattle, where he managed day-to-day operational activities at four locations, including... ... Read More

Keys Medical Group Gastroenterology welcomes Grace Maliberan, MSN, APRN, FNP-C. Maliberan is a board certified family nurse practitioner with over 18 years of nursing experience in adult hemodialysis/apheresis, vascular access and endoscopy. Maliberan is a graduate of St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, Florida. Maliberan believes in providing a holistic approach and delivering patient care with compassion and emotional support. She joins Orlando Lopez-Roman, M.D., who is board-certified in gastroen... ... Read More

On February 26, 2025, Lower Keys Medical Center celebrated nine team members at the Annual Employee Awards dinner and recognized employees with milestone years of service. Dito Garmendia, clinic supervisor, was named Employee of the Year for Keys Medical Group. Colleagues noted Dito’s flexibility, willingness to help, and his ability to stand up to challenges. Eddie Bushey, behavioral health RN, received the Employee of the Year award for Lower Keys Medical Center’s Depoo campus. Coworkers recognized Ed... ... Read More

Lower Keys Medical Center held a celebration marking more than 900 days without a serious safety event, a significant milestone in the work to deliver safe, quality patient care. Keeping patients safe is the first priority for the hospital and this milestone has been achieved through steady attention and utilizing evidence based best practices. Local officials joined in the festivities, with guests including Mayor Dee Dee Henriquez, Dr. Carla Fry and Dr. Mark Roby from the Department of Health, and Keit... ... Read More

On Sunday, January 5th, Michael Ruiter of Key West was working out at his gym. As he was lifting weights, he realized something wasn’t right – he was experiencing symptoms consistent with a heart attack. After visiting an urgent care, he was transported to Lower Keys Medical Center and admitted to the ICU, awaiting a procedure that is part of LKMC’s 24/7 interventional cardiology coverage, available since November. Lower Keys Medical Center has invested $4.9M, including a renovation of the cardiac cathe... ... Read More

Lower Keys Medical Center is kicking off its annual Jars of Love Peanut Butter Drive benefitting SOS Foundation Stock Island Food Pantry and is inviting community members to participate in this effort to fight hunger in the local area. Peanut butter is a sought after item for food banks because of its high nutritional value and long shelf life. Yet, it is one of the least donated items. The Jars of Love Peanut Butter Drive kicks off on March 3, 2025, and will run through March 24, 2025. In anticipation ... ... Read More

Lower Keys Medical Center provided care to thousands of area residents in 2024, with more than 134,000 patient encounters across its hospital, physician clinics and other sites of care. In addition to delivering safe, quality, compassionate healthcare, the health system is helping those in need, supporting charitable organizations and contributing to the area economy. In its most recent Community Benefit Report, Lower Keys Medical Center’s impact totaled an estimated $124.7 million in 2024. Lower Keys M... ... Read More

Keys Medical Group Gastroenterology welcomes Grace Maliberan, MSN, APRN, FNP-C. Maliberan is a board-certified family nurse practitioner with more than 18 years of nursing experience in adult hemodialysis/apheresis, vascular access and endoscopy. Maliberan is a graduate of St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, Florida. Maliberan believes in providing a holistic approach and delivering patient care with compassion and emotional support. She joins Orlando Lopez-Roman, M.D., who is board certified in gas... ... Read More

As part of its work to bring more specialist services to Key West, Lower Keys Medical Center and Keys Medical Group Orthopedics recently welcomed Aldo R. Beretta, M.D., board-certified and fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon. Dr. Beretta specializes in spine, hip and knee replacements. Advances in medical technology have made joint replacement therapy an effective option to treat chronic joint pain from arthritis and other degenerative joint diseases or injury. A graduate of Brown University Medical S... ... Read More

The Lower Keys Medical Center Echo Lab has been granted a three-year term of accreditation by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) in Echocardiography in the area of adult transthoracic, the most commonly performed echocardiogram. This latest reaccreditation demonstrates the hospital’s ongoing commitment to providing quality patient care in echocardiography. Adult transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), is a non-invasive, painless diagnostic tool that uses ultrasound waves to create detailed p... ... Read More