California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of March 8, 2011

Children's Hospital Central California, Madera

A $73 million expansion project at Children's Hospital Central California has remained on schedule to hold its grand opening on May 31, the Fresno Bee reports.

The expansion includes eight more examination rooms, two trauma areas and two operating rooms. Space is available to add two more operating rooms if demand increases. In total, the new wing will add 60,000 square feet to the hospital's emergency, imaging and surgery divisions (Bentley, Fresno Bee, 3/8).

Hemet Valley Medical Center

Hemet Valley Medical Center has opened a new 15-bed outpatient surgery unit with its own separate entrance, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reports.

The unit, which is separate from the hospital's inpatient surgery area, includes operating rooms, recovery rooms and a waiting area for families. Girdhari Purohit, chief of staff at the hospital, said keeping outpatient surgery patients separate helps reduce their exposure to potential hospital-acquired infections (Wesson, Riverside Press-Enterprise, 3/4).

Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center, Thousand Oaks

In April, Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center is slated to open an imaging center and new urgent and primary care offices in Moorpark, the Ventura County Star reports.

The imaging center and offices will be part of the Los Robles Hospital Medical Plaza at Moorpark, a 21,676 square-foot office building that the hospital is leasing. A physician's practice -- called the Moorpark Comprehensive Medical Group -- is scheduled to open at the medical complex later this year (Gregory, Ventura County Star, 3/10).

Martin Luther King, Jr. Hospital, Los Angeles

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved up to $50 million in funding for the new Martin Luther King, Jr. Hospital, the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

The funds would cover five years of startup costs, including $10 million that would be released now. Most of the initial funds would go toward purchasing hospital beds and other medical equipment not covered under the hospital's capital budget. Construction of the 120-bed medical center is expected to be completed in early 2013 (Los Angeles Daily News, 3/8).

San Gorgonio Memorial Healthcare District, Banning

The board of directors for San Gorgonio Memorial Healthcare District has decided to conduct more research before hiring a consultant to research a possible bond measure, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reports.

Hospital officials are considering floating a general obligation bond measure that would ask voters to help pay for a $200 million patient tower. A consultant could help determine whether voters would approve such a bond and the bond amount that voters likely would support.

The board has received proposals from three consulting firms. Board members said they are looking into the proposals further before making a decision (Waldner, Riverside Press-Enterprise, 3/9).

UC-San Francisco Medical Center

Officials have announced that a new $15 million robotic pharmacy at UC-San Francisco Medical Center is partly operational, the San Francisco Business Times reports.

Karin Rush-Monroe, UCSF spokesperson, said features such as inventory management, packaging and dispensing now are fully operational. In April, an intravenous drug compounding and packaging system is expected to begin operating. UCSF said the robotic system is safer for staff because it prepares oral and injectible medications in a secure, sterile environment (Rauber, San Francisco Business Times, 3/8).