Road Nears Completion as Hospital Opening Stalled

As the opening of Loma Linda University Medical Center-Murrieta gets pushed back due to the state ordering a re-inspection, a road that will service the new facility is nearing completion.

A one-half mile stretch of Meadowlark Road--renamed Whitewood Road by City Council in March--should be completed by the end of April, said City Engineer Pat Thomas by phone Monday.

The road will provide four lanes between Clinton Keith Road and Baxter Road, where the hospital is located.

"Our plan is to pave the third week of April," Thomas said.

Three traffic signals will eventually be installed on the roadway, he said. When it first opens, temporary stop signs will be utilized. The speed limit is likely to mirror that of Whitewood south of Clinton Keith Road, but Thomas said the exact speed will be determined once average speeds are recorded and set accordingly.

"It is a major roadway so it is designed for 50 miles per hour traffic," Thomas said.

Plans for the north-south road are for it to eventually connect to Keller Road and then Scott Road at the City's northern limits.

Delayed Opening

It is unclear whether the end-of-April completion of the road will fall near the hospital's opening date. Motorists now take a roundabout way to access the hospital via Antelope Road. Crews worked Monday repaving portions of Antelope, as well.

The hospital previously geared for a March opening, hosting grand opening celebrations in early February. At least 10,000 people attended a public tour on Super Bowl Sunday, indicating wide support for the area's newest hospital. It will add 106 beds to Southwest Riverside County, adding to the 242 beds provided by Southwest Healthcare's two hospitals.

Loma Linda is now preparing for a second inspection from the California Department of Health. The exact date of the inspection date was unclear, both from CDPH as well as the hospital.

"We have scheduled a re-inspection of this facility for later this month," said Al Lundeen, deputy director of the CDPH Office of Public Affairs, in an emailed statement.

"Re-inspections are not uncommon during hospital openings. Once the re-inspection is completed, and provided the facility meets all licensing requirements, the facility will be granted authority to open," Lundeen said.

Hospital spokeswoman Kathryn Stiles confirmed the re-inspection would take place in April but did not give an exact date.

"We are taking whatever steps we need to to serve the community. Every day that goes by we are more eager to serve," Stiles said.

Unanswered Questions

One Murrieta resident has sent letters to the governor's office, Murrieta's Mayor and councilmembers and the state health department, seeking answers about the delayed opening.

"Do you have any comments or some insight that can help us understand the true time frame of this opening? And the reasoning behind all the setbacks?" Marie Fodale asked officials in the letter.

"The results are the same bogus statements, 'We are working on opening this hospital and will let you know soon,'" Fodale wrote.

The hospital has an active Facebook page on which it fields questions and interacts with the community.

Timeline

Once the hospital gets the go ahead from CDPH, Stiles said a team of people will meet to decide on an opening date. All the hospital's departments would open that day, she said, including emergency, labor and delivery and surgery.

A sign posted in front of the hospital notified passersby that it was not open, and that there was no hiring on site. Stiles at one time predicted the hospital would employ 400 people by the time it opened, but did not have an exact number of staff at present.

By June, Thomas expects the Clinton Keith Road widening between Interstate 215 and Whitewood to be complete, further easing the flow of traffic to the hospital and the surrounding area. The Clinton Keith bridge over Interstate 215 is expected to be completed at the same time.

Included in the City's General Plan 2035 are goals to rezone areas near the hospital to accommodate economic development.