Estimated to be a $700 million project, Kaiser Permanente plans to open a new, energy-efficient hospital on its Fontana Medical Center campus in Southern California by the fall of 2013.
The seven-story, 314-bed hospital will cover 482,078 square feet and be joined by a hospital support building, which will house an array of ancillary services including radiology, a pharmacy and specialty clinics.
The new medical center will be a 'green' facility that not only preserves energy and other natural resources, but also takes advantage of the healing properties of natural light and views of the outdoors.
"Our new hospital will incorporate energy efficient lighting, electrical, mechanical and plumbing systems, will be mercury- and tobacco-free and ecologically sound," said Greg Christian, executive director of Kaiser Permanente's Fontana and Ontario Medical Centers.
When taking into account the use of low wattage lighting, an upgrade to the Edison substation and the ability to use reclaimed water, Christian estimates that the hospital will save $2 million a year in energy costs.
The new center will replace the existing hospital on the medical center's campus. In order to meet California's new seismic standards, the center will use a design called an "unbonded, brace-frame system." The design won an Excellence in Structural Engineering Award from the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California.
"Our new hospital will adhere to seismic standards set for the year 2030, decades ahead of time," said Christian.
Financing from the project came from funds set aside for that purpose (saved from income), said Christian. Kaiser Permanente reinvests its funds into capital projects and facilities, and the balance came from bonds, he added.
The Fontana Medical Center Hospital is part of an aggressive capital plan for the health plan's San Bernardino County members. The plan includes the construction of the 224-bed Kaiser Permanente Ontario Vineyard Medical Center Hospital, begun in January and slated to open in fall 2011, and the 60-physician Redlands Medical Office building, which will open in October. Additionally, the health plan is finishing work on a new medical office building in Upland.
"This new hospital will continue our legacy of innovation and ensure the availability of state-of-the-art medical services to Kaiser Permanente members in San Bernardino County for many generations to come," said David Quam, MD, area medical director for Kaiser Permanente's Fontana and Ontario Medical Centers. "We are thrilled to begin moving forward toward its construction."