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UC Irvine Gets Green Light for $1B Health Complex

Analysis  |  By John Commins  
   January 21, 2021

The new hospital and a previously approved UCI Health Center for Advanced Care will create UCI Medical Center Irvine-Newport.

The University of California, Irvine on Thursday got the go-head from the state's board of regents to build a 144-bed acute care hospital, ambulatory care center and cancer center in southern Orange County.

The new hospital and a previously approved UCI Health Center for Advanced Care will create UCI Medical Center Irvine-Newport, an 800,000 square foot academic health complex on 202 acres, with a focus on pediatrics, oncology, neurology, neurosurgery, orthopedics, and digestive health, and it will include a 24-hour emergency department.

"With today's approval by the regents, UCI takes a giant leap toward fulfilling the visionary expansion of our campus and enhancing service to the community," said UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman said in a media release.

"Once this project is completed, the UCI healthcare system will be unparalleled in this region, with two advanced medical centers, nationally recognized research units conducting hundreds of clinical trials, and a network of community locations stretching to all corners of Orange County," he said.

The project costs are expected to exceed $1 billion and will be funded by philanthropic donations, retained earnings and revenue from UCI Health operations.

Construction will begin this year, starting with the groundbreaking for the UCI Health Center for Advanced Care, a multicare facility that will house the Center for Children’s Health, medical offices and an urgent care operation.  The first patients are expected in late 2022.

The medical center will connect with the UCI Health primary care network throughout Orange County and will serve as a feeder for flagship UCI Medical Center in Orange, a 418-bed tertiary-quaternary care center.

“With today's approval by the regents, UCI takes a giant leap toward fulfilling the visionary expansion of our campus and enhancing service to the community.”

John Commins is a content specialist and online news editor for HealthLeaders, a Simplify Compliance brand.


KEY TAKEAWAYS

UCI Medical Center Irvine-Newport is an 800,000 square foot academic health complex on 202 acres, with a focus on pediatrics, oncology, neurology, neurosurgery, orthopedics, and digestive health, and it will include a 24-hour emergency department.

The medical center will connect with the UCI Health primary care network throughout Orange County and will serve as a feeder for flagship UCI Medical Center in Orange, a 418-bed tertiary-quaternary care center.

The project costs are expected to exceed $1 billion and will be funded by philanthropic donations, retained earnings and revenue from UCI Health operations.


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