Riverside Community Hospital (RCH) announced the opening of its new beautifully designed 7-story patient tower as of Monday, October 16. The new addition will bring the hospital from 373-licensed beds to a 478-licensed bed acute care medical facility.
Hospital staff, volunteers and administration were busy Monday morning moving ICU, orthopedic and surgery patients from the existing tower into the hospital’s new tower, referred to as the G-Tower. The 285,000 square-foot tower includes 105 private patient rooms, a new cafeteria, kitchen and a new state-of-the-art Laboratory. The 105 beds are comprised of- 35 additional ICU beds, and 70 Medical and Surgical beds. A new surgical pre-operative and postoperative Surgical Recovery area is also in the new G-Tower.
All new rooms offer floor-to-ceiling windows with sweeping views of downtown Riverside or Mt. Rubidoux. The G-Tower beds are private rooms that feature tiled bathrooms with showers, allowing patients to experience a serene atmosphere for their recovery.
“It was an exciting experience to be a part of the first set of patients to be moved into the new tower. The rooms are so beautiful,” stated one patient who was transferred to the new orthopedic unit on the fifth floor.
Staff, physicians and visitors also have the opportunity to enjoy the dining experience in the new state-of-the-art cafeteria, named Mt. Rubidoux Bistro after the famous Mt. Rubidoux in the City of Riverside.
In addition, the new patient tower opens space for the construction of four more operating rooms, including one for Transoartic Valve Replacement (TAVR) an advanced minimally invasive cardiac procedure to replace heart valves. This will allow Riverside and surrounding communities the access to some of the most advanced procedures available so patients can stay close to home to receive the best care the region can offer.
The vision behind the design of the project was to allow the hospital to provide cutting-edge technology, advanced services to critically ill patients and evidence-based design features that will enhance clinical operations, safety and quality and a more comfortable place for patients to receive care.
“RCH has come a long way over the last decade and the completion of the new tower is a remarkable milestone for us as we continue to support the health and well-being of a growing community,” says hospital President and CEO Patrick Brilliant. “Our patients will receive the same exceptional care by our staff regardless of which tower they reside in. The addition of our new tower is a representation of our continued commitment to providing high quality, compassionate care in a healing environment for our patients.”
In addition to the new tower completion, the hospital also announced the opening of its newly remodeled Endoscopy Lab. The new lab features four pre-op private rooms, seven recovery bays and four anesthesia and radiology procedure rooms. With the use of the latest technology, the Endoscopy Lab physicians and staff are capable of providing and supporting both highly interventional and diagnostic procedures for GI and Pulmonary cases.
Overview of the Expansion
Riverside Community Hospital is a part of the Healthcare Corporation of America (HCA). The $460 million expansion project began in March of 2013.
The total expansion project included a three-level medical office building, a new parking garage adding 1,061 additional parking spaces, seismic retrofitting of the hospital’s existing patient tower and the addition of the new 7-story patient tower. Throughout the duration of the construction, the project had a significant economic impact in the community providing more than 400 temporary jobs, and will offer close to 300 permanent jobs over a period of time. The project was designed by Perkins & Will and constructed by DPR and Skanska Construction who have extensive experience with healthcare building projects.
Beginning November 1, Riverside Community Hospital will start work on a new emergency room expansion and renovation project to meet the needs of our community. This will include additional beds and a new fast track area.
As one of the largest Emergency Departments in the Inland Empire region and a level ll Trauma Center, RCH sees over 23,000 patient admissions a year, cares for more than 123,000 emergency patients and last year treated close to 750 stroke victims by the 3rd quarter.
About Riverside Community Hospital
Riverside Community Hospital has been serving the Southern California community for over 110 years with a staff of over 2,000 employees, 500 physicians and over 200 specialties. Through their passion of providing the most comprehensive, quality healthcare and commitment in investing in the latest technologic advances in medicine, Riverside Community Hospital has been recognized as a Top Performing Hospital on Key Quality Measures for three consecutive years in a row by The Joint Commission.
RCH houses one of the largest Emergency Room and Trauma Center in the Inland Empire at 50 treatment rooms. RCH is the largest STEMI (heart attack) receiving center and is a fully accredited Chest Pain Center. Specialty services include the HeartCare Institute, offering invasive and non-invasive cardiac procedures, Center of Excellence for Surgical Weight Loss, the Transplant Program, the Cancer Center and a Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Riverside Community Hospital is also committed to training the next generation of physicians through its Graduate Medical Education program.