Riverside Community Hospital unveils $912 million expansion

Riverside Community Hospital, an affiliate of HCA Healthcare, announced today the beginning of a transformative $912M expansion featuring an 11-story patient tower and parking garage to meet the growing healthcare needs of the Inland Empire and surrounding region.

“This expansion marks an incredible milestone for the City of Riverside and the communities we serve,” said Peter Hemstead, chief executive officer of Riverside Community Hospital. “Our region is under bedded. There are just 1.63 beds per every 1,000 people in the Inland Empire.[1] This is well below the national average of ~2.35 beds per every 1,000 people.[2] This new tower will not only enhance our ability to meet the growing needs of our patients but also ensure this community has access to the highest standard of care, now and in the future. We are proud to be a part of this transformative journey to support the health and well-being of all.”

The new 459,496-square-foot tower will be home to labor and delivery, postpartum and antepartum as well as a new pharmacy, radiology, endoscopy suite, 220 medical surgical beds and 54 intensive care beds. Three floors of the 11-story tower will be shell space for future patient rooms and additional operating rooms.

“This new patient tower represents a vital investment in the health and future of our community,” said Philip Falcone, City of Riverside councilman, Ward 1. “As the demand for quality care continues to grow, this expansion ensures that our residents will have access to the resources, specialists, and support they deserve — right here at home. I’m proud to support this project and Riverside Community Hospital’s continued leadership in meeting the needs of our region.”

This tower expansion is one of many recent investments within the hospital to increase patient care experience and provide quality care to the community. Since 2021, Riverside Community Hospital has made the following investments totaling $79 million.

Total hospital investments since 2021:

• 20-bed emergency room expansion
• 35-bed inpatient unit
• 35-bed neonatal intensive care unit expansion
• Imaging additions to include 3 CT scans, MRI and x-ray
• 4 renovated Cardiac Cath Labs, pre and post procedure areas, visitor waiting and registration
• 34-bed surgical intensive care unit renovation
• 25-bed telemetry unit expansion
• ER Trauma Bay renovation

“The new patient tower ensures that Riverside Community Hospital will meet California’s stringent seismic standards which mandates that hospitals upgrade their facilities to withstand seismic events and remain operational after earthquakes by 2030,” said Hemstead. “A new inpatient building allows us to have an earthquake-safe hospital operational sooner than a remodel of our older towers and, most importantly, allows us to have a facility with a longer lifespan than our current aging hospital. This expansion is part of our broader commitment to deliver safer, smarter and more comprehensive care.”

[1] Licensed and Certified Healthcare Facility Bed Types and Counts - Dataset - California Health and Human Services Open Data Portal

[2] Assessing Hospital Bed Supply in Metropolitan Markets