New Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital Complete
Facility to Emphasize High-Tech Care and Comfort
At the end of this month, Cottage Health will open a new facility “to serve the needs of Goleta for years to come,” said Cottage Health Vice President Arie Dejong. The $126 million project to rebuild Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital has been on the horizon since the mid-1990s, when California state legislature mandated that all hospitals be rebuilt to sustain at least a 6.0 magnitude earthquake after the 1994 Northridge earthquake damaged 11 hospitals.
In addition to improved seismic safety, the new hospital is 180,000 square feet — double the size of the 50-year-old building — expanding from eight semi-private emergency rooms to 20 private rooms in which personnel will care for approximately 25,000 patients annually. The renovated hospital houses special facilities for wound care, elective orthopedic surgery, and physical, occupational, and speech therapy. A pipe system beneath Patterson connects Goleta Hospital to Pacific Diagnostic Laboratories to quickly transport laboratory samples across the street for analysis.
Looking ahead, Goleta Hospital architects designed the hospital with patient and staff safety and comfort in mind. Every room features a T-system lift with a sling attached, which allows nurses to carefully carry patients from gurney to bed. Unlike at most hospitals, hundreds of peaceful and lively works from local artists line the walls to give Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital a homey element. Furthermore, to serve Goleta’s burgeoning population, this hospital has been designed to support a third floor for future growth, said Dejong.
The original hospital will be demolished this October, and the building currently under construction on the corner of Hollister and Patterson will open in early 2016 as a 50,000-square-foot medical office space. The new hospital opens its doors to the community for a behind-the-scenes tour on Saturday, August 15.
