February 17, 2011

On Thursday, February 17, 2011, at approximately 5:30 a.m., Larry Huff, a local Murrieta resident, drove himself to the Rancho Springs Medical Center emergency department. He had made this journey before, however this time was different, as security guards flagged him down and directed him to the new entrance. He was, “pleasantly surprised” by the “welcome change.” Huff remembers how in the past he has had to sit for up to eight hours on a gurney in a hallway in the old ED, and that this visit was a, “complete turnaround from past experiences at Rancho Springs...honestly I have never had a better emergency room experience...this is a beautiful, clean facility.”  

Kevin Flaig, MD (on left in photo), vice chair of the Emergency Department for Southwest Healthcare System, who rounded on Mr. Huff, stated, “Our community has been waiting 20 years for this and finally we will be able to serve the community in the way they deserve.”

Those sentiments were echoed by Russell Hatt, MD, also an emergency room physician, who, with Flaig, has been on staff since 1994: “We are all very excited that this is finally happening. It is almost surreal.”

Southwest Healthcare System will be opening for service its phase one expansion to the Emergency Department (ED) at Rancho Springs Medical Center on Thursday, February 17, 2011 at 5:00 a.m. PST. This includes 16 ED bays, plus four ED bays for urgent care and two ED bays for triage. The ED expansion at Inland Valley Medical Center will be open to the public on Wednesday, February 23, at 5:00 a.m. PST. This ED expansion comprises 18 ED bays, plus four ED bays for urgent care and four ED bays for triage. Transitioning of patients from the existing ED facilities to the new facilities will be occurring at these times. Signage indicating the new pathways will be visible and additional staff will be on site to ensure safe and appropriate transition.

The expansion of 11 ICU beds at Inland Valley will be opening on February 25. In early March, the first phase of expansion to the Women’s Center at Rancho Springs will be open for patients. This Women’s Services expansion includes seven labor and delivery rooms, 14 post partum rooms, two maternity triage rooms, two surgical suites, and two Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) bays.

Southwest Healthcare System received notification on February 11, 2011 from The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Licensing and Certification Program of its approval to use the expanded facilities at both the Rancho Springs and Inland Valley campuses effective February 14, 2011. Access to the new facilities will be provided through a phased approach. The first phase of the occupation and utilization of the new facilities will include the following expansions:

At the Rancho Springs Medical Center campus, 16 emergency department (ED) bays in the new emergency department; and 23 rooms, two surgical suites, and two Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) bays dedicated to the new Women’s Services unit. At Inland Valley Medical Center, 18 ED bays in the new emergency department and 11 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds in the new ICU department.

After 30 days, CDPH will re-evaluate Southwest’s performance and at that point may authorize access to the remainder of the expansion, which includes 10 ED bays and 20 Women’s Services rooms at Rancho Springs Medical Center.

To ensure the safest transition to the new facilities, Southwest will soon be announcing when the new facilities will officially open and accept patients in accordance with the first phase of the occupation. 

Southwest has worked tirelessly to improve the quality of healthcare provided to our patients and the community and to ensure compliance with all regulatory requirements. This licensure is the result of hard work by the nurses, staff, employees, physicians, managers, administration and volunteers at Southwest and we thank them for their efforts. Southwest wants to thank the dedicated professionals at CDPH who have worked diligently, conscientiously, and collaboratively with us to achieve this benefit for our community. We have made major strides but know that there is still work to be done and we will continue to improve every day.