HOSPITAL EXPANSION SLOWED COSTS RISE, OPENING OF PATIENT-CARE TOWER DELAYED.

Byline: Eric Leach Staff Writer

SIMI VALLEY - Although officials had hoped to see the patient-care tower at Simi Valley Hospital open by now at a cost of about $35 million, they are now projecting a tentative opening in winter 2007 at about $50 million.

The delay and increased costs for the 146,000-square-foot tower are partly because of construction changes required by the state and because equipment and furnishings are now being included in the overall estimates, along with remodeling of part of an older, adjoining, hospital building, officials said.

``Although we factored construction delays into our original timeline, the (state) requested several design changes that were not anticipated and have significantly added to the construction schedule,'' said Jeremy Brewer, the hospital's director of marketing.

Monty Clark, regional vice president of the Hospital Association of Southern California for the Santa Barbara and Ventura counties area, said hospitals are facing strict new earthquake-safety standards, and construction costs have increased everywhere.

``A lot of it is the cost of labor and raw materials,'' he said. ``It's very difficult for the hospitals right now to project what the costs are going to be because the increases have been so dramatic.''

State officials said construction standards to protect hospitals from earthquakes are particularly strict because hospitals must remain standing and functional during and after such disasters, and they all have to meet those standards by 2030.

State officials completed evaluations of hospitals throughout California in 2001 and found that as many as 37 percent posed a danger to the public from collapse in earthquakes. As hospital officials have built new or improved facilities, the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development has asked for changes in hundreds of construction projects to improve their earthquake safety, state officials said.

California's strict seismic safety laws for hospitals were designed to keep them functioning not only after earthquakes but after other natural disasters or terrorist attacks.

``Building a health care facility is more complicated than building a retail structure, such as those found at our local mall,'' said Clif Patten, Simi Valley Hospital's senior vice president.

Funding for the Simi Valley tower includes $16 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for damage from the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. The project also received a $10 million corporate commitment from Adventist Health, leaving $24 million to be raised by the hospital's foundation.

Greg Stratton, a former Simi Valley mayor and local school board member, was one of those who originally called for the hospital-expansion project as a member of the hospital's board of directors. Construction started in fall 2003.

Stratton said it represented a big investment, but one that was necessary in the growing community. The hospital was established 40 years ago when Simi Valley had about 8,000 residents. The population is now about 120,000.

Now a member of the hospital's strategic planning committee, Stratton said the hospital could never have sustained itself as it was.

``They had to bring it up to state earthquake standards,'' he said. ``Prices have gone up. It's not an exact science. ... Safety is the primary concern.''

The fact the hospital remains open during construction helps relieve some of the pressure to complete the expansion quickly, he said.

``I think people just have to be patient and understand this is today's world. Everybody is concerned about these crucial buildings.''

Although the building's exterior is almost done, a web of steel rods still masks much of the tower as construction workers build an external wall to help ensure its lateral strength and stability, hospital officials said. A Web cam at www.simivalleyhospital.com shows up-to-date progress.

When finished, the tower will be four stories with an expanded intensive care unit, expanding from the 11 current beds to 24 beds, and 170 private rooms.

Eric Leach, [phone]

eric.leach(at)dailynews.com

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(color) Simi Valley Hospital officials say state earthquake safety requirements that led to construction changes have contributed to a delay and higher cost for the patient-care tower.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer