A look inside Simi Valley Hospital's $75-million, 4-floor tower
State-of-the-art facility will be a big step up
By Eliav Appelbaum eliav@theacorn.com

Photos by WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers HEALTHCARE HUB- Views inside and outside Simi Valley Hospital's new patient tower, which is expected to be open by spring. At top, a look outside the four-story tower, which was built with earthquake safety strongly in mind. Left, lights in the new hospital are warmer and run along the wall, a change from the traditional light panels set into the ceiling. At right, an outdoor dining area.

Hospital president and CEO Gary Irish stepped down the staircase of the new $75-million patient tower under construction at Simi Valley Hospital, praising the amenities of the 144room privatecare facility expected to open in spring.

As he descended the steps, Irish peered outside a window,

"We've got better views than any hotel in town," he quipped, "although the Marriott or Grand Vista might argue."

But the new tower's scenic views aren't what gets Irish and his staff most excited. It's the thought of providing a brand new healthcare hub in Simi Valley to replace most of the current hospital, which was built in the mid-'60s.

"While the current facilities aren't great, the quality of care is good," said Dr. Gregg Hartman, hospital chief of staff. "But with the new tower we will be able to provide services that we don't have right now . . . everything is state of the art."

The new four-story building, on which construction began in March 2003, will have three floors complete and open for patients in April. The ground floor, which will include a pharmacy, lab and meeting rooms, will be finished in late 2009.

The building was constructed in compliance with California Senate Bill 1953 regarding earthquake safety. The legislation passed after the Northridge earthquake in 1994. The new building will be able to withstand a magnitude 8.0 earthquake.

"The building is like a bunker," Hartman said. "It's really strong."

The first floor will include 52 medical and surgical beds and a lobby and a chapel on the north side of the building. The existing hospital does not have a lobby or an official entrance. The emergency department lobby currently acts as the main entrance of the hospital.

There will be 48 beds on the second floor, including 24 ICU beds and 24 telemetry beds. There are now 11 ICU beds.

The third floor will be for women and children. Included are 24 beds for women, four for pediatric patients, and eight beds for the NICU, the neonatal intensive care unit.

Eight additional beds will be reserved for labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum patients, with two rooms specifically for women undergoing C-sections. Irish said the delivery rooms will be 50 percent larger than the current ones.

Except in the intensive care unit (ICU), there are no private rooms in the current facility, with some rooms having as many as four beds. Each of the medical/surgical rooms will have private bathrooms; patients now must share bathrooms in the hallways.

Rooms will be private and larger and will feature flatscreen televisions. Patients will be able to view- and some will even get to spend time in- the healing garden, much of which has already been planted. The rooms will feel much cozier because sliding artwork will hide oxygen tubes and other medical equipment that comes from inside the wall.

WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers WORK IN PROGRESS- A contractor at work near the future home of the tower's thirdfloor Intensive Care Unit.

"It will look more like a hotel room," said Hartman, who has been working at Simi Valley Hospital for the last 10 years and serves as a community doctor for Simi Valley and Royal high schools. "It's just to make patients more comfortable. We want people to get better and not feel sick."

The hospital will also have two separate wireless frequencies, a protected one for hospital staff and another line for visitors and patients.

Project IntelliCare, a $5million system, will help keep doctors and nurses informed of patients' conditions from anywhere in the world.

After several delays in construction, the building is now very close to being complete.

"We're moving ahead well," Irish said. "I'll be glad to get into the new building. What we have right now, in my mind, is not up to par."

Having moved onto the firstfloor hallway, Irish looks through a window facing directly into the current hospital building's walls.

"There's not much of a view today," Irish he said.