Fontana, CA — March 22, 2010 — Kaiser Permanente’s Fontana Replacement Hospital reached a major milestone in construction today when Fontana Medical Center leaders, staff, and local elected officials marked its progress with a beam signing ceremony and breakfast. The final steel beam will be raised into place within the next several weeks.        

“Today’s beam signing event marks a key milestone in Kaiser Permanente’s investment into this community,” Greg Christian, Executive Director, Kaiser Foundation Hospitals/Health Plan, Fontana and Ontario. “It has been a thrill to watch the steel beams go up and now we are looking forward to moving into the next phases of construction.”

In the coming months, those next phases will include the pouring of the concrete floors on all levels and then internal wall framing. Next will be the rough mechanical work, which includes electrical, plumbing and heating and air conditioning installations. At the same time, work will begin on the roof, exterior and facade of the building.

“This beam signing event brings us one step closer to completing our new state-of-the-art hospital and medical office building,” said William Meyer, Medical Group Administrator. “Once the new hospital opens, our physicians and staff will be caring for members in one of the most technologically advanced facilities in Southern California.”

Fontana service area staff members also had an opportunity to sign the beam; on February 17, nearly 4,000 employees, physicians, volunteers and retirees came out to sign their names to the 30-foot steel beam. By the end of the event, there was not an empty spot to be found!

When it opens in 2013, the new Fontana Replacement Hospital will feature seven stories, 314 beds, and offer 482,078 square feet of state-of-the-art medical facilities. The new Fontana hospital will replace the existing hospital on the medical center’s campus and meet the new, more rigorous seismic safety standards established by the state of California.

“The Fontana Replacement Hospital will adhere to seismic standards set for the year 2030, decades ahead of time. It replaces a hospital that has served this community well,” Christian said. “While we are currently dealing with the challenges of a recession, we need to be prepared for future growth and the health needs of our community for many more years to come. Building this new state-of-the-art Medical Center will further enable us to meet this responsibility.”

The Fontana Replacement Hospital is part of an aggressive capital plan for Kaiser Permanente’s San Bernardino County members. The plan also includes construction of the 224-bed Kaiser Permanente Ontario Vineyard Medical Center Hospital, on schedule to open in 2011, and new medical office buildings in Upland and Redlands, which both opened in fall 2008.

McCarthy Building of Newport Beach is the general contractor for the Fontana Replacement Hospital project.

Fontana Replacement Hospital – Steel Beam Facts & Figures

Number of pieces of steel erected: 6,030
Total weight of steel beams: 4,700 tons
Weight of heaviest piece of structural steel: 23.75 tons
Reinforcing steel: 1800.25 tons
Cast-in-place structural concrete: 24,500 cubic yards
Quantity of dirt excavated from site: 50,000 cubic yards
Depth of excavation: 20 feet
Number of construction workers at job peak: Approximately 600
Structural Steel Contractor: Herrick Corp. - Stockton, CA
Architect: HMC Architects – Ontario, CA
General Contractor: McCarthy Building Companies - Newport Beach, CA

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is America’s leading health care provider and not-for-profit health plan founded in 1945 with the mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. Care for our 8.6 million members is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert medicine is empowered by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention and chronic disease management. Through these innovations, along with clinical research, health education and community support, Kaiser Permanente is shaping the future of health care. For more information, go to www.kp.org/newscenter.

Kaiser Permanente’s Fontana Service Area has provided comprehensive, affordable health care to the Inland Empire for more than 60 years and serves more than 400,000 members. The Fontana Service Area includes the Kaiser Foundation Hospitals in Fontana and Ontario, and medical offices in Fontana, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Colton, Claremont, Montclair, Chino, San Bernardino, Victorville, Redlands, and Upland.



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Gwen Kleist
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