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Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Providence Holy Cross Expansion Nears Opening

Construction of a new wing at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center is nearing completion, with the 138-bed hospital expansion expected to open in the spring. The exterior of the hospital’s new $180-million south wing has already been completed, and hospital officials are expecting interior construction to be done in February. That means the 140,000-square-foot new wing could open as early as March as long as there are no complications with securing the hospital’s certification of occupancy and bed licensing. The project, which has been in construction for about three years, has moved along according to schedule, said Derek Berz, the hospital’s chief operating officer. Beside additional private and semi-private beds, the expansion is expected to include the hospital’s first full neonatal intensive care unit, which allows the hospital to care for high-risk infant patients at the hospital instead of transferring them to other locations. The wing will also include a new women’s pavilion, larger gastroenterology lab, an expanded pre- and post-operative surgery department and a chapel. The building is also designed to be California’s first silver LEED-certified hospital building. Berz said the expansion was planned to meet higher patient inflow at the hospital that started surging in the early 2000s as hospitals started shutting down due to the financial burden of the state’s seismic retrofitting law. The hospital also serves areas with growing populations, including the northeast San Fernando Valley and Santa Clarita Valley, Berz said. “The Santa Clarita population has been growing over the last 20 years or more, (and) it continues to grow,” he said. “Out in Porter Ranch, Simi Valley, that area continues to grow. The aging population needs more inpatient services. … We see the community seeking services.” Expanding for need He added that it is rare to see hospitals expanding for the sake of expanding. Many hospitals that are building, he said, are doing so to replace structures that don’t meet seismic standards. Los Angeles Councilman Greig Smith said the new building will serve as a benefit to the community. “That is one of the remaining hospitals in our Valley,” Smith said. “It’s important that we maintain that facility (and) make sure it has all the resources to be bigger and better.” Smith said the Los Angeles City Council supported the project even after a group of activists with concerns about parking and traffic issues took legal action against the hospital in 2008. He said one major factor that led to the council’s backing was that it had the support from neighbors in the direct area. While the protesters were able to stop construction for about four months, additional construction crews were added afterward to help catch up to the project’s planned timeline. The hospital is hiring about 250 to 300 additional employees — mostly nurses along with other clinicians — to staff the new wing. The expansion is expected to provide more resources for physicians working at Providence Holy Cross’ Santa Clarita clinic and its new Porter Ranch medical office, as well as for physicians who are part of the Providence’s Medical institute, a medical group for the health care system.

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