WHITTIER - Hundreds of community members, local officials and employees celebrated the grand opening of the brand new PIH Health Plaza Tower on Saturday, February 9, 2013.PIH Health's Board of Directors Chair Don Alvarado welcomed the crowd and thanked them for their attendance. "Today marks yet another important milestone in our history and is testimony to PIH Health's continued commitment to remaining at the forefront of healthcare advances," said Alvarado. PIH Health President and Chief Executive Officer Jim West also thanked the crowd for their attendance and support of the enterprise, emphasizing PIH Health is so much more than just a hospital. "PIH Health is the communities' health and wellness partner serving more than 1.6 million residents in over 20 cities. As an integrated delivery system we are here to care for people of all ages, from birth to hospice care in a variety of welcoming neighborhood locations," said West. Upon its occupancy in March 2013, the new medical tower will welcome patients to the region's most advanced hospital licensed with 64 private medical/surgical beds, 48 private critical care beds, 2 catheterization labs, a state-of-the-art Surgery Department housing 10 large new operating rooms and a brand new pharmacy. Services offered in the new Plaza Tower include Corian walls that are mold-resistant and provide for a more sterile environment; bear hugger gowns that warm patients from the minute they enter the surgery area to the time they leave; streamlined screen display views that allow physicians, nurses and clinical staff located in different rooms to simultaneously see what is happening in real time during surgery; new operating beds have a gel coating top for comfort; and Clean Room Technology with an innovative airflow system that reduces the spread of airborne bacterial and viral organisms. "We are thrilled to expand our campus and services to the communities we have been serving for over 50 years. This addition is a testimony of our commitment to patient care by providing the very best healthcare services to the community and remaining at the forefront of medical innovation, technology and service," added West Recently, PIH Health also announced its intent to form an affiliation with Downey Regional Medical Center. If an agreement is reached, officials said it would "create an integrated regional healthcare system with many benefits for residents of the greater Southeast Los Angeles County area serviced by the two nonprofit hospitals."

********** Published: February 14, 2013 - Volume 11 - Issue 44