Kaiser Permanente gave visitors a glimpse Saturday of its new facility in Kearny Mesa that will begin accepting patients at the end of this month.
The San Diego Medical Center (SDMC) is located at 9455 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. Its first patients will be admitted come April 25.
Saturday's sneak peek kicked off with activities such as ping-pong tournaments, nutritional and wellness presentations and games for kids. Food trucks and farmer’s market vendors were also there.
[GALLERY] Kaiser Permanente Opens New Hospital in Kearny Mesa
The new state-of-the-art SDMC includes some of the most advanced technology in health care, such as robotic and image-guided surgical equipment. There are even remote-controlled rooms where patients can adjust blinds, temperature and lighting.
The facility only uses LED lighting and is one of four health centers in the word to receive a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification. LEED-certified buildings are resource efficient, using less water and energy while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Jane Finley, senior vice president and general manager of Kaiser Permanente San Diego said one clinical tool in the facility – a 75-inch screen – also doubles as a screen to watch movies.
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Finley said Kaiser’s newest medical center will keep the company caring for San Diegans. It will also add local jobs.
“We are now taking care of about 610,000 San Diegans, so about one in five San Diegans we care for,” she explained. “We’ve also added quite a few jobs, just for people working in the building.”
The new facility wowed guests, including former longtime nurse Katie Moran and former VA employee Rich Moran.
“I was pretty amazed, I’m a retired nurse of 42 years and I’ve worked in a lot of hospitals and they’ve thought of just about everything,” said Katie. “Including how you feel as a patient.”
“We have a ways to catch up in the VA, to catch up to this building,” added Rich. “This is building is really something and you can see it’s all directed at the patient.”
Finley said Kaiser Permanente worked closely with the City of San Diego to make sure the traffic flow around the building will be efficient.
“We’ve added a street light in front of the building; widened the lane on Clairemont Mesa [Blvd.] and the retaining wall, we built that to prevent any erosion that might occur,” she explained.
The preview event featured tours of the facility; those tours will continue to be given in the coming months. Visit the SDMC to schedule a tour.
