Health care services spotlight: California hospital.

California Hospital Medical Center has been serving Los Angeles since 1887. From its origins as a three-story building in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, it has grown into a 315-bed acute care facility that continues to set the standard for healthcare in downtown Los Angeles. With the much-anticipated growth of downtown, California Hospital provides the healthcare services vital to this evolving neighborhood.

Recently, the hospital introduced its new specialty, Orthopedics, which boasts state-of-the-art technology as well as a reputable team of specialists who provide new alternatives for a new generation of patients. The Orthopedics program provides minimally invasive knee and hip surgery, hand surgery as well as total joint replacement.

California Hospital's emergency unit is among the busiest in Los Angeles. With the only full service, 24-hour emergency department in central Los Angeles, the hospital provides emergency services to more than 50,000 patients each year. The unit is also accredited for pediatric emergencies.

In response to the demand for more comprehensive emergency and trauma services in Los Angeles County, the hospital opened its new trauma center early this year.

\This is the first trauma center to open in Los Angeles County in more than a decade. Since its opening, California Hospital's trauma center has seen many cases--serious traffic injuries, multiple gunshot wounds--with remarkably high morbidity rates. Staffed by highly skilled surgeons and specialists, and supported by an incredible team of nurses and technicians, California Hospital --within just months of its opening--has saved the lives of more than 600 patients, some of whom have had less than 10% chance of survival.

California Hospital first made its name as a best practice hospital for mothers and babies. This downtown healthcare landmark features topnotch obstetrics, pediatrics, neonatal intensive care and pediatric intensive care units. Each month, the hospital's Labor and Delivery unit welcomes close to 500 babies to the world.

As the first hospital to provide cancer care in Los Angeles, California Hospital continues this tradition of excellence by providing compassionate, expert oncology care to its patients.

Accredited by the American Cancer Society, the hospital's cancer center boasts the latest equipment in radiation therapy as well as a medical oncology unit all in one centralized location, giving patients easy access to the care they need. Transportation, image enhancement programs, as well as family and patient support groups round out the whole-person approach to care promoted by the cancer center's staff and physicians. In addition, Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) is now available at CHMC's Donald P. Loker Cancer Center. IMRT is a revolutionary way of treating cancer with radiation. It uses computer technology to program the radiation to the precise size and shape of the cancerous growth, preserving as much healthy, non-cancerous tissue as possible.

"It is our goal to provide the best care for our community," says California Hospital president Mark A. Meyers. "For this reason, maintaining the highest standards of quality and safety are a way of life for our doctors, nurses and employees."

Through the years, California Hospital has steadily built a reputation for providing programs and services that focus on well-being, comfort and peace of mind, as well as on the acute care services that many rely on when they are needed most. From basic medical services to more complex procedures such as surgery and intensive care, the hospital's staff and physicians are committed to the same goal: providing patient-centered care.

This article was provided by California Hospital Medical Center. For more information, please visit www.downtownhealthcare.com