Pioneers commends signing of Hueso cost savings legislation
BRAWLEY — Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District, an affiliate of Scripps Health Network welcomed California State Sen. Ben Hueso (D-40th) at its auditorium to hail his design-build SB 957 that authorizes all health care districts to follow this process for future construction projects.
The bill was signed into law by California Gov. Jerry Brown on Aug. 26. It will permit hospitals to construct better buildings at economical rates. Hueso praised Pioneers Chief Executive Officer Larry Lewis for his support of the initiative.
“All of us are working together to make California a better place to live and Pioneers is providing excellent health care services to the community,” said Hueso. “But to do that it’s always important to provide better resources without sacrificing transparency. The design-build legislation scores a big victory for Pioneers and health care districts across the state.”
In the old process, Hueso noted, a contractor would submit a bid and the hospital would go with the lowest responsible bidder. Yet typically they would hire a designer, architect and engineer separately. The process originally intended to ensure accountability.
Yet as construction proceeds often there is need for “change orders,” amendments to the original contract, which ultimately cost more time and funds. But under SB 957, contractors will have bids with everyone together under one umbrella that will guarantee the total cost of a project and held to a timeline rather than subcontracting piecemeal.
Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia (D-56th) who supported Hueso on his bill thanked him for putting the initiative forward. What the bill does, he remarked, was make the work smarter not harder, as that brings a project in on budget and on time.
“Pioneers is at the forefront of maintaining the highest standards of health care,” said Garcia. “They make sure everybody in the Valley has access to medical care. And with the dollars they save in construction they go toward patients’ health.”
Lewis apprised the audience of the new patient tower planned for the west side of the Phyllis Dillard Women’s Center. It will be 50 private rooms with a compliance corridor connecting to the ICU and ER units. But it is still in the early planning stages.
Further along, is an expansion of the emergency room from 16 beds to 40 beds. Once Pioneers receives approval of the architectural design from the state’s Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development it can begin construction soon thereafter. Already before the OSHPD are plans to expand the operating room. After approval construction begins as soon as possible.
Ultimately SB 957 will streamline construction as these projects cannot happen overnight, remarked Jeff Klicka, Pioneers board president. “It helps us with our strategic planning,” said Klicka. “That’s our next phase, expansion, and it’s all intended to improve health care for Imperial Valley.”
In a brief ceremony Pioneers honored 14-year employee Joe Gonzales, BSN, PHN, RN, CCRN and house supervisor, for going above and beyond in serving the hospital’s patients. “I’d like to say special thanks to my family who have always been my biggest fans,” said Gonzales. “And thank you to PMHD, who always supported my educational endeavors.”
“Pioneers is at the forefront of maintaining the highest standards of health care.” Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia (D-56th)