UC San Diego Health on Nov. 20 opened Jacobs Medical Center in La Jolla, Calif., a nearly $1 billion, 10-story medical center equipped with enhanced amenities for patients and expanded clinical capabilities, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune.
The 245-bed medical center has private rooms, iPads, glass-tiled bathrooms and floor-to-ceiling windows for each patient. It also introduces several unique medical capabilities to the San Diego region, such as the ability to perform MRIs during brain surgeries and an entire floor that is pressurized to support the care of patients with compromised immune systems, according to the report.
UC San Diego Health executives said the construction of the new facility was necessary because the health system's two existing hospitals are consistently at capacity. "We're turning away 100 patients a month right now," said UC San Diego Health CEO Patty Maysent, according to the report. "I don't think our issue is going to be over-bedding. I think the question [is] going to be whether and how we replace stuff as it ages."