Hospital unveiling draws dignitaries

The Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center was unveiled on Monday after nearly a decade of construction and fundraising, opening the hospital’s doors for tours but not yet for patients.

The dedication ceremony, which welcomed dignitaries including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former Gov. Gray Davis as well as former first lady Nancy Reagan, honored all those who contributed to the development of the hospital, which is set to open early next year.

“This is a proud moment for California and it is an exciting new chapter in the UCLA Medical Center’s five decades of excellence,” Schwarzenegger said.

The new $829 million medical center was built to replace the old UCLA Medical Center, which suffered damages in the 1994 Northridge earthquake.

“We could have renovated the old center, but the earthquake put us in a position that another disaster could have shut down the entire hospital,” Dean Gerald Levey said.

The opening of the new hospital has been set for early 2008, but it has been pushed back multiple times because of construction delays and technological updates.

“Our hospital cannot and will not open until the entire staff has been fully trained and until every last piece of equipment from an MRI machine to a light switch is fully operational,” Levey said, emphasizing the need for focus as this great project enters its final stages.

The new building features cutting-edge medical technology and will house the UCLA Medical Center, Mattel Children’s Hospital and the Stewart and Linda Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital, UCLA officials said.

The wide halls of the lobby and high ceilings were built to vibrate the natural rays of the sun and make for a welcoming atmosphere for all the hospital’s inhabitants, Levey said.

The center focuses on psychological, social and physical aspects of care and healing, offering features such as garden areas and fountains and room service with customized meals, according to a press release.

Architects I.M. Pei and his son C.C. Pei said they designed the center to achieve the illusion of several smaller hospitals rather than one massive structure, and to promote healing through attention to detail and use of natural lighting.

This 10-story building, with eight stories above ground, includes three quarter-rounded towers that house patient rooms. A triangular tower houses intensive-care units, with beds stationed in the center of each room to allow for 360-degree access to patients.

“All of this was possible because of an extraordinary partnership between UCLA and the community, between the public and the private, between the university and many individuals,” said Interim Chancellor Norman Abrams.

There are 520 private patient rooms with store-away beds for family members and windows that allow sunlight to penetrate through every wall of the hospital, Levey said. The design was a collaborative effort that brought together the voices of patients and physicians, he added.

The Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA, located on the third and fifth floors with a separate entrance on Gayley Avenue, has outside play areas, computers and an aquarium to entertain its pediatric patients.

“Since most child diseases today are chronic and ongoing, some will be cured, others won’t,” said Edward McCabe, pediatrics physician-in-chief. “That is why it is necessary to keep them in a nurturing environment that they will not fear revisiting.”

McCabe said he believes the rich and welcoming personality of the medical center will enhance the healing process for all patients by eliminating the stress and fear associated with hospitals.

The Stewart and Lynda Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA is located on the building’s fourth floor with a separate entrance linked to the UCLA Medical Plaza and provides patients with private rooms as well as age-specific care divisions. There are also outdoor patios and garden areas that will foster therapeutic interactions between patients and physicians, said Dr. David Feinberg, medical director of the Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital.

In total, the center has four separate entrances, with trauma patients entering through Charles E. Young Drive South, across the street from the UCLA Police Station or via heliport, with all other patients entering from the Westwood Plaza entrance.

This 1 million square-foot structure, built with 26,000 tons of steel and 80,000 square feet of window glass, was not only built to nurture the needs of its inhabitants, but also to withstand a magnitude 8.0 earthquake. It is also the first replacement hospital to be built in accordance with California’s latest seismic safety requirements.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency contributed $432 million for the cause, followed by many private donations, including a $150 million gift pledged in honor of former President Ronald Reagan.

“This wonderful new facility will be a lasting tribute to my husband’s legacy, and I’m grateful to everyone who has helped make it possible,” former first lady Nancy Reagan said in a prepared statement.

“It is my hope that the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center will heal the sick and also, by discovering new cures, offer hope to people everywhere.”