January 19, 2012

San Jose, CA - January 19, 2012 - Regional Medical Center of San Jose today symbolically "broke ground" for the expansion and renovation of its Emergency Department, which treats nearly 62-thousand patients each year from Santa Clara and surrounding counties.

The 18-month construction project will add 45-hundred square feet to the ED and increase the bed count to 42. RMCSJ is a designated Trauma Center, Stroke Center and Cardiac Center, with an on campus helipad equipped to handle the largest medical evacuation aircraft.

"We provide outstanding emergency care to the most seriously ill and injured patients in the Bay Area and beyond," said Elaine Nelson, MD, Emergency Department Medical Director. "Our expansion and remodel will provide more, private treatment rooms and state-of-the-art equipment to allow for even better and more efficient care. When it’s complete, Regional will have the largest Trauma Center in the County."

Mike T. Johnson, Chief Executive Officer at Regional said "RMC’s ED expansion is another investment in our community. The project is a major phase of RMC’s $300-million hospital expansion and renovation, one of the largest construction projects in the county. The replacement hospital project not only supports our total commitment to quality of care, it is providing 2-thousand construction jobs in our community."

In addition to the ED renovation, the hospital expansion project includes:

• A new 160-thousand sq foot hospital tower with private patient rooms, scheduled to be completed in 2014
• New 2-story hospital wing with private patient rooms, first floor now open, second floor to open in February 2012
• Breast Care Center - Opened October 2011
• Expanded/renovated ICU- open
• Renovated OR's and clinical equipment to support advanced programs and services

Regional will continue to provide our usual high level of care to our ED patients during the construction project.

San Jose Councilmember, Xavier Campos spoke at the event and thanked Regional for its investment in the community. Because the project is providing construction jobs, he said, it’s not just an investment in health, but in the economy of East San Jose and Silicon Valley.