Future Hospital Conceptual Drawings
Website Images of the future John C. Fremont Hospital building
John C. Fremont Healthcare District Board of Directors is planning to build a brand new hospital next to the current facility on hospital Road. If we do not replace our existing hospital with a seismically safe structure by January 1, 2030, we will lose our license to operate a hospital in Mariposa County. On June 7, 2022 the electorate of Mariposa County voted on a 1% sales tax to finance a new hospital in order to keep quality medical services available locally.
After interviewing several architects and builders, the District Board chose Cunningham Group Architecture, Inc., to design our new building and ProWest Constructors, a construction management company, to oversee construction of our new hospital. Before hiring them, the Board visited and examined a hospital they built together. We chose them not only because they are experienced in building functional California hospital buildings, but because they have a demonstrated ability to work closely together to turn out a beautiful product to the satisfaction of the hospital management.
This general acute care hospital will be designed to fulfill the statutes and regulations required for licensing and certification in the State of California. It will provide 24-hour inpatient care, including the following basic services: medical, nursing, surgical, anesthesia, laboratory, radiology, pharmacy, and dietary services as required by law. The preliminary drawings are conceptual. Input from management and hospital staff will be solicited, and the chosen design will be refined as the project moves along. The emergency department will be easily accessible and close to the helicopter pad. Major diagnostic equipment will be located inside the building, accessible to where it is needed. The 24 hospital rooms are designed with windows that take advantage of hillside views.
On April 10, 2019, the Board held a public meeting in the Mariposa County Library during which the architects introduced three alternative hospital rebuilds to the public.
1. Upgrade the existing hospital to state seismic requirements. This would require keeping the outdated design which worked well in 1951 but is no longer functional. It would also expose hospitalized patients to construction dust and noise next to the hospital rooms.
2. Build a brand new hospital next to the existing facility. It can be attached to the existing hospital which is sturdy enough to be repurposed without being rebuilt.
3. Build a brand new hospital. Tear down the old building and build a new long term care facility attached to the hospital. This would cost more than we can afford.
The Board selected option number 2 as the most practical choice. It satisfies the seismic requirements demanded by the State of California and replaces the inefficient floor plan of the 70 year old hospital with operational efficiencies of a modern building without burdening the community with costs beyond the 1% sales tax provision.
