Ground broken for $94 million hospital expansion at Scripps Encinitas

Expansion plans at Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas took a step forward with the groundbreaking of a Critical Care Building, which will more than double the size of the hospital’s current emergency department and increase the number of medical-surgical beds by 43%.

The Critical Care Building is the centerpiece of the hospital’s $94 million second phase of expansion, which also includes a new central energy plant and various infrastructure improvements on and around the medical campus.

The population of the hospital’s surrounding area has increased by more than 20% during the past decade, according to the San Diego Association of Governments. During the same time period, the overall number of annual patient visits to the hospital has also increased by more than 20%. The Critical Care Building will be the first patient care facility to be built at Scripps Encinitas since 1992.

The Critical Care Building and central energy plant are being built on the site of a former parking lot on the southwest part of the hospital campus. Totaling 61,643-sf, the two-story Critical Care Building is expected to be open for patient care by early summer 2014. BD+C

Rural hospitals present unique opportunities and challenges for healthcare facility operators. Oftentimes, the infrastructure and building systems have not been updated for years and require significant improvements in order to meet today’s modern medical demands. Additionally, as these smaller, more remote hospitals are acquired by larger regional and national healthcare systems, the first step by new ownership is often to update and rehabilitate the building. But how can this be done thoughtfully, economically, and efficiently in ways that allow the engineering and facility staff to adapt to the changes? And how can the updates accurately reflect the specific needs of rural communities and the afflictions with which these areas most commonly face?