A new North Tower at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla is set to open on June 1.
The $664 million, eight-floor structure will feature 188 inpatient beds, comprehensive mother-baby services and advanced technology.
Stream San Diego News for free, 24/7, wherever you are with NBC 7.
WATCH HEREChris Van Gorder, Scripps president and CEO, led a media tour of the new facility on Tuesday.
"This is clearly state of the art," Van Gorder said. "It doesn't get any better than this."
Get top local San Diego stories delivered to you every morning with our News Headlines newsletter.
SIGN UP Three of the eight floors of the new tower are dedicated to mother-baby care, with 18 private labor and delivery rooms, two cesarean section operating rooms, 24 neonatal intensive care unit beds and 38 postpartum beds. There's also a rooftop patio for mothers on the Labor and Delivery floor.
"A lot of life is going to start in this building, starting in just a few weeks," Van Gorder said.
In addition, there are 96 private adult medical/surgical beds serving a wide range of inpatient services, including cancer, orthopedics, neurology, stroke, spine and trauma.
Local
Dr. Giuseppe Ammirati, director of neurointerventional radiology, says the new screening technology can drastically help reverse stroke effects. He called it "life changing."
Nine of the operating rooms are the first on the West Coast to use laminar air flow systems, which removed airborne pathogens from the surgical field.
"One of the things that can create risk for patients are particles or things coming from surgical team or environment," said Walter Biffl, medical director of trauma and acute care surgery. "So the laminar air flow system takes those particles and moves them away. The air comes from the ceiling, spreads over the operating table and moves them away.”
Even the hospital food is top notch. The William W. and Barbara Smith Cafeteria features fresh food made in house, which can be delivered to patient rooms via a robot.
