ESCONDIDO (CNS) - The new $956 million Palomar Medical Center -- about a decade in the making -- is scheduled to receive its first patients Sunday.
More than 100 patients are set to be moved over from the old hospital in downtown Escondido this morning. The new 11-story, 740,000-square-foot building on Citracado Pkwy., west of Interstate 15, has 288 beds.
"Our goal was to create a uniquely flexible, future-oriented facility that would combine all of the principles that have been studied for many years to enhance the care and safety and well-being of patients and their families on one site, something that has not been effectively achieved on this scale anywhere in the country or the world," said Michael Cover, president and chief
executive of Palomar Health.
The transfer will be performed with the use of 18 ambulances over a period of several hours.
"Above all else, our guiding principles are that each patient be moved safely and with dignity," said Maria Sudak, director of clinical operations improvement. "We are planning and testing many scenarios to be prepared for every situation, and patients and family members will remain fully informed throughout the process."
The emergency department and trauma center is also set to open Sunday.