Huntington Memorial Hospital announced today that it has reached the halfway mark in its ambitious expansion project which, when completed, will double the number of patients that can be seen in the Nan and Howard Schow Emergency and Trauma Center.
The two-phase project includes the construction of new facilities which add 20,000 square feet and a state-of-the-art design dedicated to emergency care. That phase is complete and hospital staff is now seeing patients in the new space, according to a news statement.
Work has recently begun on phase two which calls for a renovation of the existing Emergency & Trauma Center, the only such center in the entire San Gabriel Valley. Upon completion, the two spaces will be joined together to create an integrated, 50-bed modern facility able to accommodate up to 90,000 visits per year, according to the statement.
“Our staff is committed to providing uninterrupted care for patients throughout the construction process,” said Steven Ralph , hospital CEO. “At the same time, we ask the community to be aware that while the new facility may look complete from outside, phase two is just now getting underway.”
The previous emergency and trauma center was designed to accommodate 30,000 patient visits per year. But with the closure of many hospitals and trauma centers in Los Angeles County over the past decade, coupled with community growth, Huntington Hospital has been averaging 60,000 patient visits annually, according to the statement.
“As the last remaining emergency room in Pasadena and the only trauma center in the region, we felt it was critical to ensure our neighbors have ready access to emergency care, close to home,” Ralph said.
“On behalf of the tens of thousands of people who turn to us for care, we are grateful to our community for recognizing the importance of this life saving project and joining us in ensuring the highest quality of emergency and trauma care are available as soon as possible,” he said.
