The current hospital complex on Alameda de las Pulgas has been deemed seismically unfit and unlikely to meet the growing healthcare needs of the community. The hospital board decided on Monday that building a new 150-bed hospital on a nearby property is the best of the four proposed alternatives studied.

The three rejected options were to do nothing and close the hospital, seismically retrofit the current structure, or build a new hospital on the same campus.

The present structure does not comply with seismic regulations enacted in 1994 to increase the likelihood that hospitals will be able to maintain their operations in the event of a major earthquake.

In 1996, voters in the Sequoia Hospital District again were called on to determine the future of the hospital. After an overwhelming vote of approval, Sequoia became the newest member of CHW Bay Area, a division of Catholic Healthcare West, which is the state's largest healthcare provider in terms of revenue.

The Sequoia Healthcare District will now begin raising money, locating and buying a suitable piece of property, and constructing a new hospital--a process estimated to cost some $175 million. According to Sequoia officials, $25 million is budgeted for land, $100 million for construction of the building, and $50 million for major equipment

The healthcare district will schedule meetings with the community in the upcoming months to discuss the process and gather input, according to hospital officials.

Instant Insights /

Sequoia Hospital to be Rebuild in Peninsula

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