As Mercy Hospital’s new president and chief executive, Dr. Manuel Antón is looking to identify, promote and expand on the Miami institution’s strengths.

Those include not only the hospital’s long-standing reputation as a caring place for health care, he says, but also cutting-edge technology and a guaranteed speedy emergency room wait, among others.

“They say it’s a traditional hospital, a community hospital, and they don’t realize it’s a center of excellence in so many areas,” Dr. Anton says.

He is also thinking outside of Mercy’s walls. He envisions Miami becoming a “Medical Mecca” where locals stay for treatment and visitors flock here for it.

“What we all would like is for no one to feel they have to leave Miami for care and for everyone to feel that they have to come to Miami for care,” he says.

Dr. Anton has been with Mercy for nearly a decade, most recently as senior vice president, chief operating officer and medical director. He succeeds John Johnson as chief.

He shared his goals and visions in his new role in an interview with Miami Today staff writer Risa Polansky