Los Angeles,
23
August
2019
|
06:00 AM
America/Los_Angeles

Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital Celebrates 50th Anniversary

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Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital Celebrates 50th Anniversary

Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital marked its 50th anniversary with a celebration at the hospital for staff, community leaders and neighbors.

"For 50 years, this hospital has been a cornerstone of Marina del Rey. It takes a lot to mean that much to a community," said Joanne Laguna-Kennedy, MSN, RN, vice president of Hospital Operations and chief nursing officer at Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital. "Through all the changes—including changes in ownership—the people of this institution have stayed strong and cared for generations of families."

Since it was founded in 1969, Marina del Rey Hospital—originally known as Marina Mercy Hospital—has served as a critical healthcare resource in surrounding coastal and westside communities. Cedars-Sinai, which acquired the hospital in 2015, is deepening that community commitment by adding new or enhanced services and programs as it embarks upon the construction of a new hospital next year.

"We're making major investments in our resources and our people, so that when patients need the highest quality specialty care, they won't have to leave our community to get it," Laguna-Kennedy told the crowd assembled on the south lawn. "They'll find it right here, at the hospital they’ve come to know and trust all these years."

Joanne Laguna-Kennedy, MSN, RN
"We're making major investments in our resources and our people, so that when patients need the highest quality specialty care, they won't have to leave our community to get it."
Joanne Laguna-Kennedy, MSN, RN

The current hospital will remain open and fully operational during construction, which is expected to be completed in 2025. All services will continue uninterrupted.

"The new hospital will be a beautiful, nine-story structure that honors this institution's extraordinary tradition of outstanding medical care," said Jeff Smith, MD, JD, MMM, chief operating officer at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and chief executive officer at Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital. "It is going to make a life-changing difference to our patients. And it's going to provide our staff with the kinds of resources and innovative spaces they deserve."

Smith offered a quick snapshot of the new hospital, which will feature state-of-the-art operating rooms and an expanded Emergency Department, among other features.

"We'll be sharing more details in the months to come," he said. "In the meantime, I want to say that this is a very special hospital with exceptional staff, and I believe you're going to be very proud of your new home."