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Heart Hospital plans to nearly double capacity
| Monday, Jun 16 2008 5:35 PM
Last Updated: Tuesday, Jun 17 2008 7:16 AM
Bakersfield Heart Hospital intends to nearly double capacity, joining several other local hospitals with expansion plans.
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The Bakersfield Heart Hospital
MedCath, the hospital’s owner, announced Monday the central Bakersfield hospital will grow by 72 inpatient beds, nearly doubling its current 47 inpatient beds.
There are plans to double the emergency department to 16 beds, along with expanding cardiac, vascular, gastrointestinal, general surgery and internal medicine services.
Upon completion, the hospital anticipates providing new surgical services in joint replacement, gynecology, bariatric and ear, nose and throat.
The plans will require adding space to the hospital, as opposed to converting the current space, said Randall Rolfe, president and CEO of the hospital. But it’s still too early to say how large the new building will be and what it will look like.
“It’s a concept right now,” Rolfe said. “The first step will be selecting the architect.”
The expansion comes with a $50 million to $60 million price tag and a completion date of fall to winter 2012, he said.
“There’s clearly a need in the community” for more hospital space, Rolfe said, citing a growing population with a large aging demographic. “It’s just our way of continuing to grow and serve.”
The extra beds will help relieve stress on the county’s emergency services, shortening hospital wait times and allowing ambulances to get back to answering calls more quickly, said Ross Elliott, director of county Emergency Medical Services.
At the Feb. 14 Emergency Medical Care Advisory Board meeting, Elliott reported that hospitals were so overloaded, one had to operate at 275 percent capacity, according to the meeting’s notes.
“The ambulance crews get stuck, and the patient just remains on the ambulance gurney waiting for a bed,” Elliott said. “Even if just one bed is added, it’s a good thing.”
The Heart Hospital is among several local hospitals that are expanding.
San Joaquin Community Hospital opened its new five-story tower early last year.
The tower was the first phase of the hospital’s $80 million construction and renovation project. San Joaquin is now working to remodel the older section of the hospital, which should be done by October, said Sam Itani, vice president of support services.
It ultimately will add about 70 beds to the hospital’s existing 178 beds.
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital is building an $84 million, five-story tower over its old labor and delivery unit. The expansion will add 114 beds and is slated to be done by January, said Ken Keller, vice president for physician and business development.
“The question is really going to be how is this going to impact the demands for additional manpower,” Keller said of the Heart Hospital’s expansion. “Bakersfield has a very acute nursing shortage.”
Rolfe said his hospital will continue to recruit over the next few years and use contract labor when necessary.
The next step for the Heart Hospital after finding an architect is submitting an application for the expansion to the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, which probably will occur in the next six months, Rolfe said.
The hospital will break ground in about two years, and construction will take an additional two years, he said.
“There’s always exciting things going on,” Rolfe said. “Basically we want to take care of patients the best we can.”