A live webcam is now available to allow the community to watch construction progress for Loma Linda University Health – San Bernardino, the new health care and educational center in downtown San Bernardino.
The concrete exterior walls of the 150,000-square-foot facility will be “tilted up” on Friday, June 5, showing substantial progress on the site.
“A lot of work has gone into site preparation and construction of the foundation over the last few months,” says Rodney Neal, MBA, senior vice president for finance at Loma Linda University. “During the tilt-up process, the walls will be raised in just a few days and the building will begin to take shape quickly.”
The new facility, located at 250 South G Street, will expand health care access as well as educational and economic opportunities to the city of San Bernardino and the Inland Empire region. The facility represents a unique partnership of Loma Linda University Health, the city and county of San Bernardino, the San Bernardino Community College District, the San Bernardino City Unified School District, Social Action Community (SAC) Health System and San Manuel Band of Mission Indians.
A multi-specialty clinic operated by SAC Health System will partner with Loma Linda University Health to greatly expand its current services. Started by Loma Linda University Health students in the 1960s, SAC Health System has grown to become the largest provider of health services in San Bernardino. The new facility will offer expanded health care options for residents, featuring expert care by Loma Linda University Health faculty, students and residents.
The facility will also be an educational center for wholeness health education and an innovative new program called San Manuel Gateway College. This outreach will offer a number of entry-level health career certificate programs such as nursing, medical and dental assisting, phlebotomy and medical insurance coding. These six- to 12-month programs will provide job skills, preparing students for employment in the health care field and future educational advancement. The San Manuel Gateway College was made possible through a generous landmark $10 million gift from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians.
Construction is slated for completion in spring of 2016. Access to the live webcam to view construction progress and more information can be found at lomalindauniversityhealth.org/sanbernardino. The image updates every few seconds.
Groundbreaking ceremonies for the facility were held Dec. 10, 2014.
President Richard Hart, MD, DrPH, of Loma Linda University Health said during the ceremony, “Studies of the infrastructure of San Bernardino have found that there are two large unmet needs in this community.
“The first is a lack of skilled workers. The second is a lack of quality health care. Our new project will help address both of those sectors of the economy by providing career education and health care for area residents as well as creating employment opportunities.”