Jacobs Medical Center opens on UCSD’s East Campus On Sunday, Nov. 20, UC San Diego Health opened the doors to the $943 million Jacobs Medical Center. The new 245-bed facility represents a future wave of healthcare for the area, boasting iPads as room controls, floor-length windows and various technological amenities to enhance a patient’s care. While many San Diegans question the direct need for such a large-capacity healthcare facility, Dr. David Brenner, vice chancellor for health services and dean of the School of Medicine at UCSD, finds that by 2030 most will be singing a different tune. The project, which has roughly taken a decade or so to come to fruition from the idea stage to completed construction, will suit specified needs of San Diegans for years to come. “It was always a long-term goal of ours to build a healthcare facility that was contiguous with the rest of UCSD’s School of Medicine,” said Dr. Brenner. “Now that this project has come to completion, this world-class hospital and research center have brought our educational and healthcare system ahead of the curve.” Named after Joan and Irwin Jacobs, who provided around $100 million in gifts to UCSD, the new building reflects a continued healthcare “boom” in San Diego—and southern California at large. Mr. Jacobs arrived in San Diego in 1966, and was the co-founder of Qualcomm. When he first arrived, Jacobs noted that UCSD had “just opened a medical school, but retained no hospital of any kind.” “We are committed to providing outstanding medical care for San Diego,” said Dr. Brenner. “By 2030, a good deal of our existing facilities will be rendered seismically unfit. While that may seem like the distant future, this foresight will ultimately provide San Diegans with the care they need. We want residents to have access to healthcare without having to leave the city. Ten years ago, that was not the case.” The 509,000 square-foot, ten-story facility includes three specialty wings: The Rady Pavilion for Women and Infants, the Pauline and Stanley Foster Pavilion for Cancer and the A. Vassiliadis Family Pavilion for Advanced Surgery. Similar to Jacobs’ case, all of the wards are also named after philanthropists. Dr. Brenner touts these three separate pavilions for their specialized care. “The top floor (Rady Pavilion) will serve women and infants in high-risk pregnancy situations,” said Dr. Brenner. “Directly underneath, and for the first time in the history of San Diego, cancer patients are able to walk about the ward.” These patients are presented this tremendous ability due to the fact that the entire Foster Pavilion is pressurized to suit those undergoing chemotherapy. The Vassiliadis Family Pavilion presents one of the greatest achievements for the facility, and is where neurosurgery, organ transplants, advanced imaging and other specialized surgery will take place. It must be noted that all 245 rooms are equipped with “knowledge walls,” which allow patients to control the comfort of their own room, as well as procure information regarding their current conditions. “One thing most people tend to overlook, is that our older hospitals will be deemed unsuitable relatively soon,” said Dr. Brenner. “With the Jacobs Medical Center, we can provide exclusive care for all San Diegans.” The facility is now open, and has generally received outstanding reviews from those who have occupied its new wards. Though some remain shortsighted, this overall advancement in medicine is arguably beneficial for all residents of America’s Finest City.