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Dispute keeping new Los Robles wing closed
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Officials at Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center in Thousand Oaks want to open a new 90-bed wing but say that because the new beds replace old beds and will not increase capacity, they don't need more nurses.
The contention is at the heart of an impasse keeping the long-awaited new wing closed for patient care services more than two months after a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held.
California Department of Public Health officials won't comment. Hospital Chief Executive Officer Jim Sherman said state officials want more staffing because the hospital asked for 90 new beds on its license even though an immediate increase in capacity wasn't in the plan.
"We have not hired any additional nursing staff because we're still going to operate with the same number of beds," he said.
The 90 beds in the new wing will replace beds and services in the existing wing, which is scheduled for eight months of renovation and construction. Nursing staff levels won't increase until the works is completed and the total number of beds goes up, he said.
Hospital officials are proposing to break the stalemate by suspending 70 beds on its license so that nursing levels meet required ratios, Sherman said.
Lea Brooks, spokeswoman for the Department of Public Health, said state officials won't comment until their review of the new wing is completed. She said there's no estimate for when a decision will be made.
Sherman said he's optimistic the opening will happen soon but it can't happen without state approval.
The opening was originally planned for last December but torrential rain in 2005 slowed down construction. Then an opening was set for Aug. 12, four days after a dedication ceremony. Problems in scheduling a mandated state inspection pushed the date back further.
The 200,000-square-foot addition and a parking structure cost about $120 million to build. All 90 beds will be private.
Parts of the wing not involving patient care, including admissions, a gift shop and medical records have already opened.
Posted by horsespinner on October 12, 2007 at 12:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Well at least we have the gift shop, now if I could only find a parking place
Posted by whalevideo1 on October 12, 2007 at 1:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
los robles 90 paitents i want to know what they are going to do after they get open and when you have only 1hospital for wlv and to and other paitents comming from elsewhare.and they have 200 paitents that need to be admitted. i think they need to leave the old wing open and hire more nuses. there care is not that great now anyways.
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