Irvine already is among the healthiest cities in America, with two hospitals and a university research institution that conducts hundreds of millions of dollars in medical research each year.
Now, the University of California has announced it will build UCI Medical Center – Irvine: a $1 billion hospital and medical complex at UC Irvine.
The plan includes a 144-bed acute-care hospital, an ambulatory care center and a cancer center that joins with a full-service academic health complex.
The Irvine Standard sat down with Dr. Steven Goldstein, vice chancellor of health affairs at UCI,
to learn more about the facility, its clinical focus and its value for the people of Irvine.
What is the importance of building this facility in Irvine? No other health system in Orange County is powered by one of the world’s finest academic research institutions: the University of California. Our goal is to make this expertise and world-class health care easily available to the people of Irvine and the entire region.
What will it be like once complete? This facility is beautifully designed with an emphasis on the outdoors and sustainability. It will provide complete outpatient and surgical services across an 800,000-square-foot facility. It will be powered, in part, by green energy generated right here on campus. Healing gardens and trails complete the patient-care experience. All of this comes together to create among the most unique medical complexes in the nation.
What are some of the clinical focuses of the facility? This will be home to the Center for Children’s Health, wellness programs, urgent care, specialty disciplines, research and clinical trials, and lifesaving surgical and acute care. The hospital will focus on key clinical programs, such as oncology, neurology, neurosurgery, orthopedics and digestive health, and it will include a 24-hour emergency department. This brings world-class care closer to the people of Irvine to ensure they have the best and brightest here in town.
How does the hospital connect to and benefit from the university? The new medical center will be a short walk from some of the world’s most prominent researchers, scholars and entrepreneurs. Talented medical professionals will have access to the vast knowledge found at UCI – from STEM fields to humanities, art and social sciences. Integrating this comprehensive expertise will create an extraordinary health care experience centered on the highest-quality prevention and treatment.
At a glance
Projected opening: First patients in 2022; full campus completion by 2025
Investment: Approximately $1 billion
Location: Jamboree Road and Birch Street, overlooking San Joaquin Marsh
Size: 800,000 square feet, including a 144-bed hospital
Economic benefits: 2,500 health care and construction jobs
