$94 Million Expansion Continues at Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas

The steel framing of a critical care building at Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas reached its highest point today, medical center officials said.

The building will more than double the size of the hospital's emergency department to 27 beds. On the second floor will be 36 beds for patients recovering from surgery or recuperating from acute illness. The hospital's $94 million second construction phase also includes a new central plant and various infrastructure improvements. The first phase features a large parking structure.

"This expansion will help fill a critical community need by broadening our staff's capacity to treat a growing number of patients," said Chris Van Gorder, president and CEO of Scripps Health. "Our patients will notice a more comfortable and private environment and our staff will have more space to deliver care with even greater efficiency."

The expansion is in reaction to a recent study by the San Diego Association of Governments that the coastal North County has grown by 20 percent over the past decade. Dr. Thomas Chippendale, the hospital's chief of staff, said the number of visits to the emergency room have increased 50 percent in the the past 10 years. The almost 62,000-square-foot critical care building is scheduled to open in early summer next year, according to Scripps.

—City News Service