Nancy Farber, CEO Washington Hospital Healthcare System

(This message will also be included in the Fall 2011 issue of Health Signs.)

 Investing in Care
Washington Hospital Healthcare System continues to expand its facilities to better serve the community

When we first opened Washington Hospital in 1958, the Washington Hospital Healthcare System served a community of 18,000 individuals; today we serve more than 350,000 persons. Looking into the future, we will be serving even more residents of our hospital district.

Today, when you come to the Washington Hospital campus, you can see the work we are doing to make sure we have the best facilities and the best technology—along with the best doctors, nurses and staff—to meet the growing healthcare needs of our community.

Seven years ago, district voters approved a $190 million bond measure to partially fund the construction of sorely needed new medical facilities to serve our expanding population and meet state-mandated seismic safety requirements. Today implementation of Washington’s comprehensive Facility Master Plan continues. Two of these buildings are nearing completion—and I’m proud to say they are on time and on budget. And they are providing critically needed jobs.

The first building, which will be completed later this year, is our central plant, a freestanding, state-of-the-art power plant that has the capacity to support the growth of the Washington Hospital campus far into the future. The central plant will house three new, high-capacity emergency generators capable of providing back-up emergency power for at least one full week. We all have seen the tragedies associated with natural disasters in other parts of our country and throughout the world where the loss of electrical power has hindered medical care for the sick and injured. With our new central plant, Washington Hospital will be able to continue to provide medical care in the event of an earthquake or other unexpected disaster. The central plant building also will house several other departments key to keeping our hospital functioning: engineering, security, environmental services and laundry services.

Also under construction is a new and expanded home for the Center for Joint Replacement (CJR). This construction project is supported through other funding sources and not funded through the bond measure passed in 2004. The CJR is an award-winning, nationally recognized program which, in addition to treating local residents, draws patients from outside our community to use its excellent services. In April 2011 HealthGrades, a leading, nationwide health care ratings, information, and advisory services company, named the Center for Joint Replacement as the number one joint replacement program in California. The CJR has now been ranked among the top 10 in California for six years in a row and has been ranked among the top 5 percent in the nation for five years in a row. It completes more than 1,000 joint replacements annually. Due to be completed in 2012, the building creates a healthy environment and fosters healing while bringing the continuum of related patient services under one roof.

In 2013, we will be begin construction of our new Morris Hyman Critical Care Pavilion which will house a new and expanded emergency room and critical care unit to accommodate the vast increase in seriously ill patients being treated at Washington Hospital. The Fremont Bank Foundation awarded a $1.5 million grant to support construction of the new building. The building also will house an additional 68 all-private rooms.

These new facilities are critically important both to meet the expanding demand for our health care services and for state-mandated seismic upgrades on all of our buildings. In all areas we will build in new technology capable of utilizing future innovation. These state-of-the-art facilities also will be key to attracting and keeping the very best physicians and nurses for the benefit of all district residents.

All of these exciting facility developments have one goal—to deliver the highest quality, most advanced care and best possible experience for our patients and community. Washington Hospital’s core mission is to provide the very best health care to our district residents. These new facilities help us meet that mission.

Sincerely,

Nancy Farber, CEO
Washington Hospital Healthcare System


Keep In Touch
We value your feedback. If you have questions about the hospital expansion or any other WHHS services, contact Community Relations at 510-791-3417 or visit whhs.com.