Kaweah Delta Set To Start Demolition Project March 21

VISALIA – On Monday, March 21, demolition activities will signal the beginning of Kaweah Delta Medical Center’s long-term expansion plans. The demolition can be viewed live online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_xricPyyVM.

The demolition will pave the way for a temporary 55-space parking lot for physician parking which will help physicians get to the hospital more quickly to see patients and serve as the district’s first effort to clear land for a future acute care hospital, subject to funding through the passage of a general obligation bond. By 2023, pending passage of a general obligation bond, the area where the parking lot is being built will house the first and second floors of the new acute care hospital that Kaweah Delta is building to meet California’s seismic safety laws. The physician parking lot is expected to open in May.

Up for demolition are buildings that were used as a diagnostic imaging center, providing MRIs to patients and as a medical office. The buildings are located on Floral Street, adjacent to the Acequia Wing (on Acequia Avenue behind Checkers Restaurant).

“This is one of the most significant healthcare projects ever undertaken in this community,” said Lindsay Mann, Chief Executive Officer of Kaweah Delta Health Care District. “It will enhance this community’s access to life-saving trauma care and other services, including the ability to respond to critical healthcare conditions such as heart attacks, strokes, cancer, and neurosurgical services.”

The new acute care hospital will be built in phases over the next 14 years, which will allow Kaweah Delta to replace new bed capacity needed to meet earthquake standards as it is able to fund each phase of the project. Building the structure of the new acute care hospital over the next 14 years will result in considerable cost savings as the district avoids escalated construction costs from building in the future.

The full structure of the new acute care hospital and the first and second floors will be complete by 2023. Completion of the third and fourth floors will occur by 2027 and the fifth and sixth floors will be complete by 2029. As required by law, by 2030 Kaweah Delta must have a fully developed and seismically compliant new acute care hospital.