PHOTOS: Inside the New San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital Building

The following was submitted for publication on behalf of the city of Beaumont:

State-of-the-art healthcare comes to San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital

A new era for healthcare is dawning in the Pass, where a new, state-of-the-art emergency (room) department and intensive care unit will soon begin serving the region.

San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital unveiled the new ER and ICU Building on Jan. 18 during a public dedication attended by hundreds of excited area residents and other visitors. The two-story structure, built at a cost of nearly $30 million and covering approximately 40,000-square-feet, is expected to open in April.

Originally built in 1951, the community hospital located in Banning serves patients from Calimesa to Cabazon. The new ER and ICU were designed to meet the needs of a region that continues to grow, year in and year out.

Lifesaving care

“This is indeed a day that we have looked forward to with excitement and anticipation,” Jerilynn Kaibel, chairwoman of the Hospital’s Board of Directors, said during the dedication. “This beautiful structure will save many lives in the years to come.”

The new facility could not have become a reality without the support of the residents of  Beaumont, Cherry Valley, Cabazon, Banning, and parts of Calimesa, she said. In 2006, voters passed a property tax measure known as Measure A, which funded the new ER and ICU.

The new ER more than doubles the number of available beds— from 10 to 23. The number of  ICU  beds nearly tripled— from 6 to 16. The new ER has private rooms, and the ICU, which occupies the second floor, has rooms large enough for families to stay overnight to help in the healing process. Many new doctors and specialists have been added in recent years to serve patients.

Hospital tributes

Dr. Roger Seheult, head of Intensive Care Services, joined several speakers in celebrating the latest addition to the hospital, saying he was humbled by all the support.

“This structure is a monument to the will and fortitude not just to all of you, but to the community,” Seheult said. “This ER and ICU are yours. You’ve entrusted us to serve you. We will be good stewards, and you will see results.”

Dr. Seheult said patients will be treated more quickly in the ER and will receive prompt transfers to a waiting bed in ICU, if needed.

Other dedication speakers included Dorothy Ellis, chairwoman of the Hospital’s Healthcare District Board of  Directors; Kay Lang, project manager; Mark Turner, chief executive officer; Dr. Devin Borna, chief of staff and Dr. Evan Houck, head of emergency services. Chaplains Merle and Mary Malland delivered the invocation.

The dedication of staff, volunteers, and elected officials

Hundreds of  locals and visitors from as far away as Redlands toured the new facility. Turner and other staff members saluted everyone involved for their vital role in providing health care. They recognized the hospital staff; Board of Directors; Foundation and Auxiliary volunteers; and hospital partners like Loma Linda University Medical Center, Beaver Medical Group, and Epic Management.

“It’s much more than constructing a building,” Turner said. “It’s the people who go into it and others who work tirelessly for this Hospital.”

Touring the new facility

The visitors included Gerlinde and Joe Filijan, a Cherry Valley couple that settled in the Pass in 1960. They thanked the hospital for the excellent care he now receives as a patient. They also noted that their youngest son was born at San Gorgonio Memorial 48 years earlier. As they paused in a long hallway, husband and wife expressed their amazement at all the changes designed to serve patients and their families, including spacious, sparkling rooms and new hospital equipment.

“It’s something to be proud of,” Gerlinde Filijan said.