The hospital’s parent company, Southwest Healthcare, announced that the new seven-story tower began receiving patients on Monday. The project, which cost about $400 million, adds a 217,444-square-foot advanced acute care facility at the hospital’s campus on Inland Valley Drive.

With the addition of the new tower, Inland Valley Hospital increases its licensed acute care bed count from 120 to 202 — a jump aimed at keeping pace with the region’s rapid population growth and rising demand for medical services.

Hospital officials say the expansion strengthens services already offered at the facility, including Level II trauma care, a certified primary stroke center, and an advanced total joint replacement program. Inland Valley is also known for its nationally recognized weight-loss surgery program.

Even before the expansion, the hospital handled a high volume of patients, performing more than 4,000 surgeries annually and seeing roughly 4,000 visits each month in its emergency department.

“This is an important and exciting moment for our organization and the communities we serve,” said Jared Giles, CEO of Southwest Healthcare Inland Valley Hospital and Rancho Springs Hospital. He noted that the new tower opened following approval from the California Department of Public Health and credited staff for managing the complex transition into the new space.

The project has been years in the making. Ground was first broken on Oct. 7, 2021, in a ceremony that also marked the start of expansion work at nearby Rancho Springs Hospital in Murrieta.

The investment in both facilities represents the largest financial commitment to date by Universal Health Services, the Pennsylvania-based company that operates Southwest Healthcare hospitals across the region.

Inland Valley Hospital itself has been serving the area since it first opened its doors in 1987.

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The Leapfrog Group released its spring 2024 Hospital Safety Grades, assigning an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” to nearly 3,000 general hospitals. The grades are based on how well the hospitals prevent medical errors, accidents and infections.

Southwest Healthcare Rancho Springs Hospital in Murrieta and Inland Valley Hospital in Wildomar each earned an “A” grade. Loma Linda University Medical Center-Murrieta also received an “A.” The achievement was a first for all three. Each was graded “C” one year ago. In 2016, Inland Valley and Rancho Springs received failing grades from Leapfrog.

“This ‘A’ grade is a reflection on all the hard work and dedication in which our entire team has contributed to the highest quality of safety measures for our patients and their families,” said Jared Giles, CEO of SWH Rancho Springs Hospital and Inland Valley Hospital.

Trevor Wright, CEO of Loma Linda University Health hospitals, said the national recognition “speaks to our dedication to delivering high-quality care to our patients. Achievement at this level of consistency is what makes world-class care possible.”

Nearby Temecula Valley Hospital received a “B” grade from Leapfrog, the same score as last spring.

While Southwest Riverside County hospital services have improved greatly over the last several years, Leah Binder, president, and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, said patient safety remains a “crisis-level hazard” in U.S. healthcare.

“Some hospitals are much better than others at protecting patients from harm, and that’s why we make the Hospital Safety Grade available to the public and why we encourage all hospitals to focus more attention on safety,” Binder said.

Leapfrog reports that, based on peer-reviewed research, an estimated 250,000 people a year die of preventable errors and infections in hospitals, which makes patient safety problems the third leading cause of death in the United States.

Leapfrog grades are updated biannually in the spring and fall. To see the full spring 2024 grade details on all hospitals, including those in Southwest Riverside County, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org.

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