The hospital expansion at Adventist Health Tulare – after more than a dozen years of delay and setbacks – will be ready to accept patients by 2028, says CEO of Tulare Local Health Care District Randy Dodd.
“We just signed a contract for $3.5 million, a preconstruction contract,” Dodd said. “In January we’ll be able to go out for bids.”
The district’s immediate goal is to complete construction of the first two floors of the stalled four-story tower, giving Adventist Health Tulare a new state-of-the-art emergency department and imaging center. Construction is expected to take 18-24 months to complete.
“It’s what we need at this time and what we can afford,” Dodd said.
Record Donation for Anniversary Celebration
The news of pending construction comes as Tulare Local Health Care District and the hospital celebrate a pair of major milestones – 2026 marks 80 years since the formation of the district and is the 75th anniversary of the hospital’s opening.
An open-house celebration of the historic occasions hosted by Adventist Health Tulare and the district is planned for 5:30 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, September 22, at the hospital, 869 N. Cherry St. The event is the opening of a months-long “season of celebrations,” Adventist announced.
“The hospital has been a vital part of the community for 75 years,” said Tim Haydock, operations executive with Adventist Health Central California Network.
Adventist Health Tulare received an A grade from the hospital ratings organization The Leapfrog Group. The hospital is accredited as a primary stroke center by the Joint Commission and as a Geriatric Emergency Department by the American College of Emergency Physicians.
“We are grateful for our community’s support over the years and are committed to further expanding and advancing care for years to come,” said Haydock.
Adventist also announced a “beloved member of the community” intends to make the largest donation in the hospital’s history. The identity of the donor will be revealed at the September 22 event.
Confusion Remains Following Mismanagement
Just after World War II – in 1946 when the nation’s military members were returning from posts around the world – Tulare residents formed the Tulare Local Health Care District with the ultimate aim of building a local hospital. Construction of the Tulare District Hospital began in 1949, and the $1.1 million, 86-bed facility opened in 1951.
The hospital changed names over the years, becoming the Tulare Medical Center and then the Tulare Regional Medical Center. Services expanded through the 1980s before a major renovation in 1993 that added a pediatric treatment center. In 2005, voters approved an $85 million bond to expand the hospital, with construction beginning on the tower in 2010.
Then construction stalled in 2014-15. The district had turned over management to the private management group Health Care Conglomerate Associates in 2013. The company’s executives were later convicted of fraud in their management of the district, and during their tenure the state of the expansion project became increasingly uncertain until it stopped entirely.
District CEO Dodd said more than 400 change orders have been issued over the stop-and-start construction of the tower. Most of the documentation from that period is now missing. Today, the building’s exterior is complete, but the interior remains unfinished. Unfortunately, no one can say exactly what has to be done to finish it.
“We’re now on architect number three and contractor number four,” Dodd said. “So it’s hard for us to go out and say, ‘This is what we need to do to finish this project.’”
New Tower Construction Starts New Era
The recently-commissioned study of the tower’s current state of readiness that’s now underway should yield a project list and cost estimate for finishing the first two floors of the tower. It will be complete by January.
“It will provide for us a document we can use to go straight out to construction,” Dodd said. “It could easily be 18 months from there and we’re good to go.”
The first floor will house a new, expanded emergency department, and an imaging center. The second floor will be home to state-of-the-art surgical operating rooms. Adventist Health will provide a $15 million loan to finance construction. The company will also spend $40 to purchase imaging and surgical equipment, Dodd said.
“We couldn’t afford both by ourselves,” he said.
But it is vital to have them. The imaging and surgical centers will vastly expand Adventist Health Tulare’s ability to treat patients locally. The signal a new era for the medical center.
“Those two things in combination will give us a new hospital,” Dodd said.
And then there’s the record donation to consider. To maintain suspense until the September 22 announcement, the donor’s name and the amount of the donation are being kept secret.
“I can’t tell you, I can’t tell you,” Dodd said. “It’s part of the surprise of the event. It’s big news to have someone in our community care so much that they’re making a huge donation.”
The generous contribution alone, however, isn’t enough to finish all four stories of the tower expansion and its basement loading docks, workrooms and storage areas. Work toward that ultimate goal continues.
“That’d be a huge donation,” Dodd said. “It’ll help in that direction.”