Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell and Harbor-UCLA Medical Center CEO Andrea Turner perform the ceremonial ribbon cutting in front of the new Harbor-UCLA Medical Center clinic on Wednesday, Sept. 9. (Photo by Madeline Armstrong/SCNG)
The first floor pharmacy in the new Harbor-UCLA Medical Center Clinic will open on Sept. 22. (Photo by Madeline Armstrong/SCNG)
The new state-of-the-art MRI machine will be in use when the new Harbor-UCLA Medical Center Clinic opens on Sept. 22. (Photo by Madeline Armstrong/SCNG)
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Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell and Harbor-UCLA Medical Center CEO Andrea Turner perform the ceremonial ribbon cutting in front of the new Harbor-UCLA Medical Center clinic on Wednesday, Sept. 9. (Photo by Madeline Armstrong/SCNG)
Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, in West Carson, will open its new outpatient clinic on Sept. 22, a $547.7 million building that’s part of Los Angeles County’s largest investment in public health to date.
The $1.8 billion capital improvement project will create a new medical campus that will be completed in 2028.
“The goal of the $1.8 billion Harbor-UCLA Medical Center Replacement Program is to create a world-class medical center that meets the needs of the nearly 300,000 patients who rely on Harbor-UCLA for their health care,” L.A. County Supervisor Holly Mitchell said during a Wednesday, Sept. 9, ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new clinic. “During a time when we see continued attacks on access to healthcare, this is about the people who will walk through these doors.
“Children, families seniors (and) neighbors from every walk of life who, I believe, are entitled to a high-quality healthcare system designed for them in their own community,” she added. “This is what it looks like when our tax dollars and county investments come together to transform entire communities and ultimately improve our lives.”
The new clinic building replaces World War II army barracks that have been repurposed to operate as a clinic for 80 years.
“It was never intended to last more than a decade or two,” said Christina Ghaly, director of the L.A. County Department of Health Services. “And, 80 years later, they’re still seeing patients and hosting offices and having patient care happen in these halls.”
The new clinic, however, is six stories and will serve as the outpatient center. It consolidates specialized services — including maternity, radiology, cardiology, pediatrics, pharmacy and more – creating a “one stop shop” for patients, said Harbor-UCLA Chief Medical Officer Griselda Gutierrez.
“Imagine coming to Harbor and finding the expertise you need organized around your care, not scattered across a sprawling campus,” Gutierrez said. “Departments, once scattered, now share a home. We made things work because we had to, but today’s Harbor is not about making do. Today’s Harbor gets to ask what becomes possible now when our public hospital is a destination of excellence, a place of choice, trust and pride.
“This moment is a bridge between what we inherited and what we have the privilege and responsibility to create,” she added. “We carry forward Harbor’s heart and its tradition of teaching, its deep connection to L.A., its belief in the people we serve. And now, we have all that new space – space designed around our patients, space for our teams to work together, space for curiosity and ideas, for possibility and excellence.”
The clinic is also equipped with advanced technology and industry-leading medical equipment, and is near a six-story parking structure.
These investments come at a time when public healthcare is “under attack,” said L.A .County CEO Joseph Nicchitta.
“We know this project reflects our residents’ values because they told us so a few months ago when they approved Measure ER,” Nicchitta said. “In this time where other levels of government are pulling back on investments, we’re doubling down.
“This temporary half-cent sales tax measure will provide critical funding that public hospitals and clinics,” he added, “will continue to provide all county residents the care they deserve.”
The new clinic is the fourth of six new buildings under the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center Replacement Program. Construction on the final two buildings is estimated to be completed in 2028.
More information on the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center Replacement Program can be found at pw.lacounty.gov/projects/harbor-ucla-medical-center-replacement-program.