Massive $450M Hospital Expansions Begin In Murrieta, Wildomar

SOUTHWEST RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Multi-million dollar expansions and renovations kicked off Thursday at two Southwest Riverside County hospitals with ceremonial groundbreakings.

The projects at Rancho Springs Medical Center in Murrieta and Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar will total nearly $450 million and create more than 1,000 new jobs. The expansions are necessary to keep up with Southwest Riverside County's growing population, according to dignitaries on hand for the groundbreaking ceremonies.

At Inland Valley Medical Center, the hospital will grow to a seven-story facility to make room for more patients and services, including emergency room trauma care. The hospital is the region’s only Level II American College of Surgeons Verified Trauma Center.

The Rancho Springs expansion will focus on women’s and children’s services with the aim of establishing, in conjunction with Rady Children’s Hospital, the first pediatric inpatient unit in the region, according to Southwest Healthcare System CEO Jared Giles.

Inland Valley and Rancho Springs are part of the Southwest Healthcare System, which falls under the Pennsylvania-based Universal Health Services umbrella. The large financial investment in the Wildomar and Murrieta facilities is the most substantial ever committed by UHS, according to the company.

“The hospital campus at Inland Valley will be transformed into one of the largest healthcare facilities in the region and Rancho Springs is excited to continue our amazing relationship with Rady Children’s Hospital, San Diego,” Giles said.

Rancho Springs began treating patients 30 years ago when few local health care options were available. Since that time, the area has become a “health care hub for the region,” Murrieta Mayor Scott Vinton told the more than 50 dignitaries who gathered for Thursday’s groundbreaking ceremony at the campus on Medical Center Drive.

Nearly the same number of people turned out for Thursday’s groundbreaking ceremony at Inland Valley Medical Center on Inland Valley Drive. Wildomar Mayor Pro Tem Ben Benoit told the crowd that even as recent as 12 years ago many residents were concerned about accessing quality health care in Southwest Riverside County.

“We’re so happy for the investment in our community,” Benoit said.

Once complete, the expanded Inland Valley Medical Center, which first opened in 1987, will “change the landscape of healthcare here,” Giles said.

Joan Sparkman chairs the Board of Governors for both Inland Valley and Rancho Springs. A local resident who has served for 40 years in many posts across the Temecula Valley, Sparkman was on hand for Thursday’s events. She told the crowds, “we’ve dreamed of this.”

Not only will the expansions provide enhanced health care services for the region, but they will also create jobs, according to Sparkman.

Southwest Healthcare System is one of the largest employers in Southwest Riverside County with more than 1,600 team members. The expansions and renovations are expected to create over 1,000 design and construction jobs, as well as hundreds of new hospital jobs including nurses, therapists, technicians, and housekeeping, once all new patient care areas are open, according to the company.

Now in her 80s, Sparkman announced Thursday she is retiring from the boards next month, explaining it is time for her to settle down.

“I am so very proud and I’m hoping I see the finished product,” she said.

The expansions and renovations are projected to be completed in phases over the next two to five years. Both campuses will remain open for patient care with minimal disruption, officials said.