California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of May 15, 2009
Children's Hospital and Research Center, Walnut Creek
In April, Children's Hospital & Research Center purchased a 73,000-square-foot building in Walnut Creek as part of the medical company's efforts to expand its medical and health care services in the East Bay area, the Contra Costa Times reports.
According to industry sources, Children's Hospital already has spent about $20 million to upgrade the building, part of which it occupied prior to the purchase last month.
The new facility will feature an array of new medical technologies and services, including a surgery center, clinic and an advanced imaging center (Avalos, Contra Costa Times, 5/7).
Eden Medical Center, Castro Valley
On Tuesday, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors voted to delay consideration of the environmental impact report for a facility to replace Eden Medical Center, the Contra Costa Times reports.
Supervisors will consider the report at its June 9 meeting (Noceda, Contra Costa Times, 5/12).
Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center
California health officials fined Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center $25,000 for a case that resulted in a patient's death after receiving blood meant for another patient, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Hospital officials said the facility will not appeal the ruling (Lin, Los Angeles Times, 5/14).
Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, Fontana
On May 8, Kaiser Permanente executives and San Bernardino County officials broke ground on a new hospital that will replace an older facility, the San Bernardino County Sun reports.
Construction of the 482,078-square-foot facility -- two seven-story patient towers offering 314 beds, and a three-story diagnostic and treatment center -- is scheduled to begin in July and be completed in 2013.
The new facility will also include a 30,000-square-foot office building, a pediatric intensive care unit, a modern cardiac surgery department and a 51-bed emergency department (Dulaney, San Bernardino County Sun, 5/8).
Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital, Whittier
On May 11, Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital officially reopened its newly expanded R.C. Baker Foundation Emergency Department, the Whittier Daily News reports.
The $14.5 million expansion project includes a larger patient waiting area, improvements to the ED's nursing stations and treatment sections, two new triage rooms and a new section dedicated to pediatric care.
Officials said that waiting times will be reduced for patients visiting the ED, which sees about 70,000 patients annually (Molina, Whittier Daily News, 5/11).
San Leandro Hospital
Alameda County supervisors on Monday approved a plan to relocate Fairmont Hospital's 50-bed acute rehabilitation center, which will likely be re-established at San Leandro Hospital, the Contra Costa Times reports.
However, moving the ward means that San Leandro's general care services would close, possibly later this year.
San Leandro hospital has 122 medical-surgical beds and a 13-bed emergency department. (Holzmeister (1), Contra Costa Times, 5/11).
The rehab ward's current location does not meet state seismic safety standards and the county does not have sufficient funds to retrofit it because it already has committed $600 million to improving Oakland's Highland Hospital (Holzmeister (2), Contra Costa Times, 5/9).
South Coast Medical Center, Laguna Beach
South Coast Medical Center recently notified the state that it intends to lay off all 580 of its employees after finalizing a $35.7 million sale of the facility to Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center, the Orange County Register reports.
Mission Hospital will employ "substantially all of the active employees" on South Coast's payroll at the time of the deal's close, except those positions that would duplicate services, Kelsey Martinez, a Mission spokesperson, said.
The sale is waiting for a final sign-off from the California attorney general. A decision on the deal is expected after mid-June (Milbourn, Orange County Register, 5/11).
UC-Irvine Medical Center
On Thursday, officials announced that UC-Irvine Medical Center will be the first Southern California hospital recognized as a designated stroke receiving center, the Orange County Register reports. The designation means that paramedics can transport patients in the early stages of a stroke to the center for advanced neurovascular care, 24 hours a day.
The hospital also received high marks for its stroke care services from the Joint Commission (Orange County Register, 5/7). This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.