LAC-USCP 9/18/07 1:22 PM Page 239
specialty clinics such as radiation cancer trends in patient care with shorter
therapy and physical therapy.
The fourth building is the central
plant, and will hold the generators, air
conditioning equipment and electrical
transformers. The building will be 60,000
square feet.
The general contractor, a joint venture
with McCarthy-Clark-Hunt, along with Los
Angeles County, broke ground in 2003.
‘More Enhanced Services’
Howard says the original hospital was
built in the 1920s and had become func-
tionally obsolete. In 1994, the Northridge
earthquake severely damaged portions of
the hospital.
Also, California passed a law that
required all hospitals to meet certain seis-
mic standards so that they could handle
earthquakes. For all these reasons, “It
was not practical to just update the hos-
pital,” he says, so the decision was made
to build a new facility.
“The new medical center will provide
enhanced services in a better facility,” he
says. “It will have fewer patient beds that
the existing hospital following today’s
an integrated delivery system to residents
patient stays.”
For example, in the 1920s, women who
gave birth stayed in the hospital for sev-
eral days. Today, they are released in 24
or 36 hours.
“So there is a need for fewer beds and
more sophisticated care for a shorter
period of time,” he explains.
High-Tech Features
The medical center will implement a
computerized system of automatic guid-
ed vehicles manufactured by Swiss Logic
to move linens, take away trash and de-
liver food in certain parts of the hospital.
Also, in its central lab, blood and tissue
samples will be processed through a series
of robotic analyzers. Both these systems
will reduce staff, Howard says.
Keck School of Medicine
According to the Los Angeles County
Health Services, which will run the facili-
ty, the medical center’s mission is to “pro-
vide accessible, affordable and culturally
sensitive healthcare to every patient in
our care [and] to provide services through
of Los Angeles County, regardless of abil-
ity to pay.”
The medical center is on the same site
as the Keck School of Medicine, USC’s
medical school. “As one of the busiest
public hospitals in the western United
States, LAC + USC Medical Center records
nearly 39,000 inpatient discharges, 150,000
emergency department visits and one
million ambulatory care visits each year,”
the university says.
“LAC + USC is the largest single pro-
vider of healthcare in L.A. County, and
treats more than 28 percent of trauma
victims in the region,” it continues. “In
addition, LAC + USC operates one of only
three burn centers in the county and one
of the few Level III neonatal intensive
care units in Southern California.”
It is one of the largest teaching hospi-
tals in the nation, according to the uni-
versity. The medical center’s staff includes
450 full-time faculty from Keck School
and 850 medical residents. Its specialized
services include a Level I trauma center, a
NIH-funded clinical research center and
a HIV/AIDS outpatient center. ■
OCTOBER 2007 ■ CONSTRUCTION TODAY ■ 239