Loma Linda University Medical Center With Redlands Community Hospital, Beaver Medical Group to Develop New Outpatient Center in Beaumont

Business Wire, Sept 29, 2006

BEAUMONT, Calif. -- Four well-respected health care organizations today announced their intention to build a new Outpatient Center in Beaumont that will offer comprehensive, high quality medical services. The 72,000 square foot facility will serve the residents of Beaumont as well as the surrounding communities of Cherry Valley, Banning, Cabazon, Calimesa, Yucaipa and Oak Glen.

Loma Linda University Medical Center, Faculty Practice Plan of Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Redlands Community Hospital and Beaver Medical Group are collaborating to develop the new health care facility. Initial plans for the Beaumont Outpatient Center include a medical office building, outpatient surgery center, urgent care, a variety of medical and surgical programs, and additional services such as imaging, a laboratory and physical therapy. The plans are contingent upon approval by the city of Beaumont. Preliminary plans for the Beaumont Outpatient Center call for ground to be broken by Spring 2007, with completion in Winter 2008. The project is expected to cost $42 million.

"Loma Linda University Medical Center is pleased to work together with the Faculty Practice Plan of Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Redlands Community Hospital, and Beaver Medical Group to extend our mission of providing quality health care services to a broader community," said Ruthita J. Fike, Chief Executive Officer for Loma Linda University Medical Center. "The Beaumont Outpatient Center will bring new facilities to the area, as well as make specialized services and physicians more accessible and convenient for people who live in surrounding communities."

Loma Linda University Medical Center (LLUMC) is a tertiary care hospital in the Riverside/San Bernardino area, and serves as the only Level 1 regional trauma center for Inyo, Mono, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. LLUMC offers nearly 900 beds for patient care. The Medical Center operates some of the largest clinical programs in the United States in areas such as neonatal care and outpatient surgery, and is recognized as the international leader in infant heart transplantation and proton treatments for cancer. Each year, the institution admits more than 33,000 inpatients and serves roughly half a million outpatients.

"By teaming with LLUMC, Redlands Community Hospital and Beaver Medical Group, the Faculty Practice Plan of Loma Linda University School of Medicine is actively participating in one of the most important new health care initiatives in the Inland Empire," noted Roger Hadley, M.D., Dean of the School of Medicine. "We will be able to bring the medical expertise of teaching-hospital faculty members to patients in the Beaumont area."

The Faculty Practice Plan of Loma Linda University School of Medicine is comprised of over 600 physicians from more than 20 different physician group practices affiliated with the Medical Center. The group maintains nearly 20 satellite offices throughout the Inland Empire.

"The new outpatient center reflects feedback we have received from local community members and physicians regarding the services that are needed in the area," said Jim Holmes, President and Chief Executive Officer of Redlands Community Hospital. "Our goal is to provide comprehensive and cost-effective services, with an emphasis on our patients' needs."

Redlands Community Hospital has been serving the local community for more than 100 years. The 176-bed hospital offers a full range of medical and surgical services, including maternity neonatal intensive care, orthopedics, psychiatric services and an emergency room that treated more than 41,000 patients in 2005, resulting in 6,164 admissions. The hospital performs nearly 6,500 surgeries a year and admitted over 13,000 patients in 2005. Over 2,600 of these patients were from the San Gorgonio Pass communities.

"We are enthusiastic about participating in the new Outpatient Center as it will allow our local patients to access expanded diagnostic and treatment services without having to leave the area," said John Goodman, Administrator of Beaver Medical Group. "In most cases, medical conditions that are less serious and surgical procedures that do not require a hospital stay can be managed right at the Outpatient Center."

Beaver Medical Group (BMG) has facilities in Redlands, Yucaipa, Highland, Colton and Banning. Founded in 1945, BMG is one of the largest multi-specialty medical groups in Southern California, with over 140 physicians representing 25 medical specialties. Beaver Medical Group recently opened a second medical office building in the city of Banning, adjacent to an established location where BMG physicians have been caring for patients in the area for over a decade. The new medical office building enables Beaver Medical Group to bring additional physicians to the community and expand specialty care services.