Construction Starts on $456 Million Scripps Cardiovascular Institute

By Gabriel Circiog, Associate Editor

Scripps Health has started construction on the new $456 million Scripps Cardiovascular Institute that, according to President and CEO Chris Van Gorder on the facility’s official website, is aiming to be the finest cardiovascular institute in the world. The Center plans not only to offer the best health care for the San Diego community, but also to become a destination for heart patients everywhere.

Scripps Health is a community-based nonprofit health care system that encompasses five campuses, numerous clinics and over 2,600 affiliated physicians. The current Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla campus offers health care to over 140,000 patients annually.

The Cardiovascular Institute is part of a 25-year master plan that aims to transform the existing Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla campus into a state-of-the-art facility that will encompass three new hospital towers. The seven-story tower will be a state-of-the-art facility that will include six operating rooms, six cardiac catheterization labs, 108 private patient rooms and 60 intensive care beds. The rooms will offer various amenities such as wireless internet access and LCD screen televisions.

The 383,000-square-foot building is located just 1,600 feet from the new Central Energy Plant that will provide air conditioning, heating, medical gas, steam, fuel storage, waste storage, and emergency generators. Recently Scripps Health has entered a 10-year extension of its partnership with Kaiser Permanente, thus continuing to be the exclusive provider of cardiac surgery and interventional cardiology to the 500,000+ members throughout the San Diego County

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. has been appointed the construction management firm, McCarthy Building Companies Inc. has been nominated as the design-assist general contractor and HOK Architects will be the project architect.

Scripps Health will finance the expansion via operating revenues, loans and community support. Already $35 million of the $125 million fundraising target has been raised via philanthropic gifts.