New patient tower officially opens
By Eliav Appelbaum eliav@theacorn.com

NEW VISION- Recently named Simi Valley Hospital President and CEO Darwin Remboldt speaks to a crowd of onlookers.

Darwin Remboldt stood at the podium Sunday, savoring the moment. Simi Valley Hospital was about to dedicate its new patient care tower.

Remboldt recalled being a junior in high school at Newbury Park Adventist Academy when the medical facility opened in 1965. He was acting CEO in 1984 when the hospital underwent a renovation.

"Now it's beyond belief that I can be here for the final step," said Remboldt, who returned as hospital president and CEO at the beginning of the year.

Last Sunday, under perfect weather conditions, Simi Valley Hospital opened the doors to its new $75million tower on Sycamore Avenue, pledging that with the new facility will come a new level of care at the city's only hospital.

"This tower is for all us. We want this to be a place where people receive care with dignity and respect," Remboldt said. "The best is yet to come for Simi Valley Hospital."

Photos by WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers CELEBRATION- The Simi Valley-based Tony Maddox Band performs in front of the new $75-million patient care tower at the Simi Valley Hospital dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony held Sunday.

Joining residents and staff were scores of local dignitaries, including U.S. Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Thousand Oaks), who talked briefly about his son being born in the original hospital 39 years ago.

"Had it not been for this facility, it might have all been different," Gallegly said.

Supervisor Peter Foy credited the hospital with saving the life of his baby daughter.

"She was on the edge of death, and they saved her," Foy said. "It's just a special place."

Dr. Mark Mendes, director of the hospital's ER, said his department serves 24,000 patients a year, or 60 percent of the hospital's patients.

Mendes said he hopes the new ER will reduce the waiting time and improve the overall hospital experience for both patients and personnel.

Other presenters or speakers included Mayor Paul Miller; Assemblymember Cameron Smyth (R-Santa Clarita); Dr. Vipin Tandon, the hospital's chief of staff; the Rev. Charles Jenson of Simi Valley Seventhday Adventist Church; and Scott Reiner, senior vice president of Adventist Health.

WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers A LOOK AROUND- Simi Valley resident and hospital employee Sharon Kellogg, far right, gives tours of one of the labor, delivery and recovery rooms in the new patient care tower.

"What a great day this is," Miller said. "It's been a long time coming. . . . This hospital will serve our city well."

The 146,000-square-foot, four-story care tower will have 128 private-care rooms, a 24-bed intensive care unit and eight spacious labor/delivery/recovery rooms.

While the first three floors of the hospital will serve patients in the next few weeks, the ground floor is expected to open next year.

The first floor will include 52 medical and surgical beds.

There will be 48 beds on the second floor, including 24 ICU beds and 24 telemetry beds. In the current facility, there are 11 ICU beds.

The third floor will be for women and children. There are 24 beds for women, four for pediatric patients and eight for the NICU, the neonatal intensive care unit. Eight beds will be reserved for labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum patients, with two rooms specifically for women undergoing C-sections.

The pharmacy, lab and meeting rooms on the ground floor will be finished in late 2009. A lobby, chapel, gift shop and additional parking are also part of the next building phase.

In 2009 or 2010, the hospital hopes to create a cardiac catheterization and peripheral vascular laboratory. It's also planning to begin construction on a 45,000squarefoot medical office building on Sycamore Drive, next to the Simi Valley Hospital Aspen Outpatient Center.

"Today, I see the same spirit as in 1965," Remboldt said. "I see the same joy, pride and anticipation."