Emergency Medicine Department Section Chair Dr. Asbasia Mikhail talks with patient Maria Misquez, of Pasadena, in the emergency department at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena on Friday, October 28, 2011. An expansion of the Emergency Department is underway, nearing completion, and entirely funded by charity. (Tim Berger/Pasadena Sun Photographer)
By Tiffany Kelly
Pasadena Sun
Huntington Memorial Hospital is more than halfway done with an ambitious expansion of its emergency department as the center seeks to keep pace with rising demand for emergency room services.
The hospital’s current emergency and trauma center has 21 beds. The new center will add 22,000 square feet and host 50 beds.
The $80-million expansion was fueled by several factors that have increased activity at the Huntington emergency room.
The first came in 2002, when Pasadena’s St. Luke Medical Center closed, making Huntington the hub for 90% of all local 911 calls in the area.
“When St. Luke’s closed, our volume went up 10 to 20 percent,” Jeanette Abundis, executive director for emergency services at Huntington, said. “It’s one of the reasons for the expansion.”
