Who owns uci medical center

Its hospital could open in Courtesy of UC Irvine. It could open in In , Duarte-based City of Hope announced a specialty cancer hospital with clinical research and outpatient facilities next to the Orange County Great Park, and Hoag Hospital got approval last year to more than double the number of patient beds at its Irvine campus on Sand Canyon Avenue.

Some of the property will be set aside as gardens and natural areas within the San Joaquin Marsh Reserve. University officials said more patient capacity is needed locally, as is focused care for cancer and other health issues, because some Orange County residents now travel elsewhere for treatment. As well as adding up to beds, the new Irvine hospital will include an emergency department.

Still, UCI leaders say the school is making improvements. Spiritus, a pulmonary specialist who took his residency at UCI in and has been chief medical officer since , named a host of services that he says are strong, including the burn unit, the stroke program and the neonatal intensive-care unit. Last week, Drake sent out an e-mail to the campus, describing efforts to improve the medical school and the Medical Center. A search committee has met once to begin recruiting a new vice chancellor for health affairs who will oversee both institutions.

Navigant Consulting Inc. The campus is recruiting a hospital ombudsman, and a new strategic plan is to be discussed this summer. All the proposed changes come as UCI is at a crossroads. Some of the showcase medical programs that were planned to enhance its reputation have flopped or melted down publicly. Meanwhile, funding for medical programs remains a significant issue. But where the medical competition hits UCI hardest is in the wallet.

And the clientele at UCI is not the right constituency to be giving to campaigns. For decades, UCI has faced the challenge of caring for patients in what medical experts describe as an aging hospital, with obsolete equipment and out-of-date patient rooms.

This has made it tougher for UCI to woo top-notch physicians, or to get referrals from doctors who want their patients to have access to the most modern equipment, according to Drake and other UCI officials. But medical obsolescence has been a problem for years.

We have four or five beds in a room. We have done a really good job, I think, of working with what we have. The Hospital Seismic Safety Act, passed in response to the quake, requires that by all acute-care hospitals such as UCI meet tougher construction standards. Anything they can do to set themselves apart is valuable. All of this comes together to create among the most unique medical complexes in the nation. What are some of the clinical focuses of the facility?

The hospital will focus on key clinical programs, such as oncology, neurology, neurosurgery, orthopedics and digestive health, and it will include a hour emergency department. This brings world-class care closer to the people of Irvine to ensure they have the best and brightest here in town.

How does the hospital connect to and benefit from the university? Talented medical professionals will have access to the vast knowledge found at UCI — from STEM fields to humanities, art and social sciences. Integrating this comprehensive expertise will create an extraordinary health care experience centered on the highest-quality prevention and treatment.