New ER Opens at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla

LA JOLLA, CA — Scripps Health cut the ribbon Saturday on a $33-million emergency department and trauma center at the Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla campus.

The 33,000-square-foot Barbey Family Emergency and Trauma Center went into operation Monday, according to Scripps Health. The facility, which includes 51 beds and four ambulance bays, is located on the first floor of the Prebys Cardiovascular Institute.

"Thanks to the generosity of the Barbey family, Scripps will be able to provide for the emergency needs of patients in the region for years to come," said Scripps President and CEO Chris Van Gorder. "By expanding our emergency and trauma services, we are strengthening our mission to serve the health care needs of our community while offering the highest quality of care possible."

The facility also includes four trauma bays that can be expanded to eight in case of disaster, four psychiatric beds, four isolation rooms for infectious diseases and state-of-the-art imaging technology.

The Barbey Family, which founded what's now the VF Corp. apparel company and includes some La Jolla residents, donated funds to get the project under way.

A major gift was also provided by the San Diego-based David Whitmire Hearst Jr. Foundation, to name the trauma area after Dr. Brent Eastman, a former Scripps chief medical officer and trauma surgeon. Hearst is a grandson of media mogul William Randolph Hearst.

— City News Service

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