High-tech Hospital Now Open
First new hospital in more than 15 years
By ELIZABETH IRELAND
Updated 7:30 AM PST, Sun, Jan 11, 2009
More than 2,000 members of the community attended an open house for the new Stephen Birch HeathCare Center on the Sharp Memorial Hospital campus in Kearny Mesa Saturday. The seven-story, 315,000 square-foot, steel and glass structure is the first hospital to be built in San Diego in more than 15 years.
Visitors were treated to a behind-the-scenes look at the hospital and received free health information. There was a ceremonial ribbon cutting Thursday for local dignitaries, but Saturday was the grand opening for the public.
“The comments we’ve been receiving have made everyone at Sharp HealthCare proud as people are talking about a new unique hospital like no other and they really love what they’re seeing and finding here,” said Dan Gross, Executive Vice President of Sharp HealthCare Hospitals.
The high-tech hospital has more than 332 private patient rooms, expanded emergency and trauma services, and 12 family waiting areas. All patient rooms have private bathrooms and a pullout sofa, so a family member can spend the night.
The Hospital’s ten operating rooms include surgery suites, specially designed for heart surgery, orthopedics, and transplant surgery and X-ray and imaging systems. They also built a healing garden.
“We’ve designed a hospital not only around the latest technology, but also around creating a unique experience for every patient and family member,” Gross said.
The new hospital, ten years in the making, connects with the original one to make it continuous. Construction cost $196 million and began more than four years ago.
The hospital will treat predominantly adults who are acutely ill, need critical care, come in for routine surgery, or experience some type of trauma.
First Published: Jan 10, 2009 10:28 PM PST
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