LLUMC-Murrieta Marks 1 Year of Service

More than 600 babies have been birthed at Loma Linda University Medical Center-Murrieta since it opened April 15, 2011.

But only two will have their portraits on the wall of the maternity ward: Bentley Dana and Roxie Quinones.

Bentley was born at 2:16 p.m April 15, 2011, just hours after the hospital officially began taking patients. He was the first baby and first boy born at the hospital. Roxie was born at 5:33 p.m. She was the first girl and second baby born on the hospital's opening day.

Now 1 year old, both babies came with their parents Wednesday to help celebrate it's one-year anniversary. There was cake, hugging and lots of smiles—all marked by speeches from elected officials such as Murrieta Mayor Doug McAllister and Third District Supervisor Jeff Stone.

"When you looked at that young man, whose picture is right over there, Bentley, you look at that little guy and you go 'hey this is what it is all about,'" said Murrieta Mayor Pro Tem Rick Gibbs, who was on hand for the ceremony.

"Before Loma Linda opened up and before Southwest (Healthcare) was able to get past their hurdles, that mother would have probably been thinking 'oh my gosh where am I going to go to have this baby born?' She talked about timing being impeccable, with the baby being born on opening day," Gibbs said."

For Shane and Katie Dana, Bentley's parents, things turned out just as they hoped.

"I kept saying 'we are going to be the first,'" Katie said. "My water broke as they were cutting the ribbon," she reminisced.

The Danas, who live in Menifee, were transplants from Orange County, where their two other sons were born. So when they learned she was pregnant, the search for the right hospital was on.

The two babies may not know it yet, but they share a special bond.

Charmaine Rausch, director of perinatal services, was happy to reunite with the two tykes and their parents.

"It is neat to see how they've grown," Rausch said. "This is a very exciting part of my job."

Rausch was equally excited about the strides made in the year since the hospital opened. Receiving its Medicare license has allowed the hospital serve more families, she said.

Other faculty agreed.

"There have been some growing pains along the way," said Atalanta C. Olito, head of anesthesiology. "But we've seen the numbers grow. From 30, 40, 50, to now we are at 300 surgeries. It has been exciting to see all the different surgeries we've done."

Several key achievements were highlighted by LLUMC-Murrieta officials, one being the . This was due to shortly after opening. A months-long candidate search ensued.

Rawson, who officially took over April 2, shared his thoughts with Patch.

"This is a hospital just a year old, still growing and becoming all that it can be. It is just real exciting for me to be here at this time," Rawson said.

"This 108-bed hospital is carrying neurosurgery, and we just last month started a cardiovascular surgery program, so we are the only hospital in the area doing open-heart surgery. Those are really significant milestones. We'll begin doing interventional cardiology next week. We are just really excited to bring those services here," said Rawson, who will also serve as senior vice president for Strategic Planning for Loma Linda University Health Services.

Because LLUMC-Murrieta is under the umbrella of Loma Linda University Medical Center, Rawson said the hospital benefits from many of the faculty, some of whom are relocating their families to the area.

"I think this hospital can create a unique bridge between university-style medicine and community medicine in a way that can really be a model of how these kinds of services can be provided to a community," Rawson said.

Those were just a few of the causes for celebration by hospital staff Wednesday.

"The hospital is now contracted with the majority of providers in the Murrieta/Temecula region," said Kathryn Stiles, spokesperson for the hospital.

This was achieved by accreditation, which enabled the hospital in July to , she said. In turn, the facility was able to contract with insurance companies and HMO providers.

"In the past 12 months the hospital has treated over 45,000 patients, delivered more than 600 babies and has had over 61,000 visitors to the facility. The hospital’s emergency department has seen over 33,000 visits since their doors opened on April 15, 2011," Stiles said.

The hospital also went into full gear to become licensed to perform advanced cardiology procedures including open heart surgery, Stiles said.

"The facility and is carefully rolling out a comprehensive interventional cardiology service line. To date, the hospital has performed five open heart surgeries and is preparing to utilize its two Cath Labs for vital interventional procedures, including placing stents and performing angiograms."

Also licensed during the first year were the outpatient pharmacy; a comprehensive outpatient diagnostic center; a wound and hyperbaric oxygen therapy center; radiation oncology, and comprehensive rehabilitation services, she said.

"More services are expected to receive their licenses soon, including an outpatient behavioral health clinic and outpatient laboratory services," Stiles said.

The hospital already provides an extensive array of surgical services including neurosurgery, spine surgery, brain surgery, open heart surgery, total joint replacement, orthopedic surgeries, podiatric surgery, urological, gynecological, bariatric, vascular, and other critical surgical services, Stiles said.

With all the services, the hospital has created 650 jobs—and more could be on the way.

"The hospital is looking forward to more growth, which will include an expansion of the existing hospital and more medical office buildings on the 25-acre property," Stiles said.

The hospital was built in 26 months, following a meeting of the minds of several local physicians. included regulations under the Health Care Reform Act, which affected physician ownership of the facility and ultimately their financial backing.

Along with other elected officials who attended the hospital's one-year anniversary party, Gibbs said he was grateful LLUMC-Murrieta hung in there and opened. He recalled lobbying for the hospital, which included a trip to Washington, D.C.

"I thank the Loma Linda faculty—particularly Ruthita Fike and Dr. John Piconi—for their vision in making this happen," Gibbs said.

"It is a great feeling to be confident that if you have a serious health issue there are now hospitals in this area that can take care of you."