A Los Angeles City Council committee approved plans for a $542 million expansion of Providence Tarzana Medical Center that will include a new patient wing with a pediatric intensive care unit and new surgical facilities, along with renovations to the emergency department, patient rooms and lobby.
According to the Los Angeles Daily News, the existing 249-bed facility dates back to 1973. It changed hands when Tenet Healthcare sold it to Providence Health & Services, now Providence St. Joseph Health. Council members said the expansion has been needed for the growing community surrounding the hospital and will improve access to “cutting edge technology” in healthcare in the San Fernando Valley.
“We hear far too often about hospitals closing or not being able to keep up with maintenance even … let alone expanding,” said Councilman Mitchell Englander, who called the project “overdue.”
The hospital’s CEO, Dale Surowitz, said beyond expanding the medical center’s capabilities on neonatal and pediatric care, the project would allow it to utilize surgical robots. The goal, he said, is to “keep people in the Valley for care, as opposed to people thinking they have to leave the Valley for those services.”
If the full council approves the plan, construction is set to begin later this year with an anticipated opening date in 2022.
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John joined TriMed in 2016, focusing on healthcare policy and regulation. After graduating from Columbia College Chicago, he worked at FM News Chicago and Rivet News Radio, and worked on the state government and politics beat for the Illinois Radio Network. Outside of work, you may find him adding to his never-ending graphic novel collection.