By Mary-Justine Lanyon
Editor
Mountains Community Hospital is celebrating its 75th anniversary of serving the healthcare needs of the mountain community this year. Built in 1951, some parts of the hospital date back to those initial days.
The hospital, Chief Development Officer Kim McGuire explained to the Women’s Club of Lake Arrowhead at their March 18 luncheon, is under a state mandate to retrofit the existing building to meet seismic standards by 2030. If they don’t, McGuire said, they could risk closure.
Plans have been underway to not only complete that retrofit but also expand the hospital’s building and services.
As part of the seismic retrofit, MCH will be installing underground water and sewer tanks as well as upgrading the infrastructure.
“We will be completely self-sufficient after an earthquake,” said CEO Mark Turner. “We will be our own island, ready to serve the community.”
Phase 2 of construction include creating a new emergency department and acute care wing. “This will address many of today’s issues,” Turner noted. He gave the example of improved privacy in the ED where solid walls will be built between patient beds; currently they are separated by curtains. There will also be more storage and expanded spaces for triage and casting. Each patient room will have its own heating and cooling system.
As for the current ED, that will be repurposed. “Wound care and infusion therapy are things the community has requested,” Turner said.
The AccuVein shows exactly where a patient’s veins are. (Contributed photo)
In Phase 3, the current acute care wing will create an additional area for the Skilled Nursing Facility, increasing the number of beds from 20 to 33. “We will be able to better serve the community,” McGuire said. And while the two SNF areas will be in different wings, she added they will explore how to connect them.
The plan is to complete construction by 2028 with licensing and move-in taking place in 2029. MCH has taken out a $72 million loan to fund the construction; McGuire is looking for grants and other funding sources.
They showed two videos to the Women’s Club – one addressed the swing bed program, the other welcomed general surgeon Dr. Van Martin back to MCH.
The swing bed program offers short-term rehab care after an illness, injury or surgery. It is designed for patients who don’t need acute care but are not ready to return home. Physical and occupational therapy are a critical part of the program. Patients have access to state-of-the-art equipment and on-site lab services.
Dr. Martin had left MCH to practice in Hawaii. His surgical services include hernia repair, gall bladder and appendix issues, cyst and mass removal, colonoscopy and endoscopy procedures. He was happy, he said, “to trade one paradise for another.”
With all the activity at the hospital, McGuire noted, parking has become difficult. MCH has created a new parking area with 128 spaces by MacKay Park. “It will be used primarily for staff parking,” McGuire said.
At the conclusion of the luncheon meeting, WCLA’s Kristin Countryman presented checks to the MCH Foundation and Auxiliary.
The Foundation check will be used to purchase an AccuVein device, which projects a picture of a patient’s veins so an IV can be inserted more accurately. “There will be fewer IV attempts and less trauma for both children and older patients,” Nick Starr, a hospital supervisor, said.
Jeanne Hoy, the Auxiliary president, said their check will be used to purchase two new sewing machines to make Boo Boo Bears. The bears, she said, “bring comfort to our littlest patients during their time with us.” Starr had brought with him a Bear he received as a young patient at the hospital. Hoy passed around modern-day Bears for folks to admire.
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