Children's hospital will use $135M grant for 6 expansion projects

With six major expansion projects planned, Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital expects to serve an additional 15,000 pediatric patients each year, officials announced.

In a Jan. 27 news release, the hospital announced it had received a $135 million grant from the California Health Facilities Financing Authority, creating an opportunity for the hospital to not only add on to existing facilities, but also improve existing structures.

In the news release, spokesperson Briana Pastorino said the children’s hospital cares for more than 100,000 pediatric patients annually. With the expansions funded by the grant, the hospital has the potential to serve more than 115,000 patients annually.

“Children have unique needs for their health care, and these funds will enable Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital to grow and enhance the vital health care we provide to our region’s youngest, most vulnerable patients,” Trevor Wright, CEO of Loma Linda University Health Hospitals, said in the news release.

In the past, the children’s hospital has received other grants from CHFFA, but none as large as the $135 million awarded this year. The hospital received $74.9 million in 2004 and $98 million in 2008.

The voter-backed Children’s Hospital Bond Act of 2018 allocated $1.5 billion in state money for pediatric care, leading to the single largest CHFFA grant to Loma Linda, officials said.

In a news release, state Treasurer Fiona Ma, who chairs the CHFFA, said the latest grant invests in care for children in San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Loma Linda Children’s Hospital is the only dedicated pediatric hospital in the region.

“Building on a previous CHFFA award to support expansion of a new Children’s Tower at Loma Linda, these funds will make a life-saving difference and improve health equity in our state by making quality care available to a population that is a majority Medical patients,” Ma said.

The $135 million grant will fund:

• Construction of a new pediatric medical office building with more clinics and exam rooms.

• Expansion of the neonatal intensive care unit.

• Relocation and expansion of the pediatric hematology/oncology infusion center.

• Renovation of the 30-year-old pediatric operating rooms.

• Addition of a 48-bed pediatric psychiatric inpatient unit.

• Reimbursements for equipment, such as a surgical robot used for minimally invasive procedures.