July/August 2007

PAMF’s plans to build a state-of-the-art medical center in San Carlos are forging ahead. This spring, the San Carlos City Council, Planning Commission and Traffic and Transportation Committee have all voted unanimously to certify the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the project as adequate and complete. PAMF has also delivered an addendum to its application to the City of San Carlos that includes an updated project design and plans for a smaller facility.

As originally planned, PAMF will offer primary and specialty physician services, an urgent care center, laboratory, X-ray and other testing services, as well as a full-service, acute-care hospital with a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week emergency room, all in one location. The updated project is now planned for 120 physicians, 845 non-physician staff members and 97 hospital beds, which will result in fewer patient visits and less traffic in the surrounding areas. (The original proposal included 180 physicians, 1,137 non-physician staff members and 110 hospital beds.)

In addition, landscaping and open space on the site have been increased by more than 125,000 square feet while the buildings, including a hospital and medical office building, have been reduced by a total of more than 40,000 square feet. The overall footprint of the campus – the amount of land on the site covered by buildings – has been reduced by 20 percent.

"When we proposed the original design in 2004, we were very early in the planning process," said Cecilia Montalvo, vice president of strategy and business development at PAMF. "The last three years have given us an opportunity to refine the project based on feedback from the community during more than 60 public meetings. We also visited some of the country’s leading medical facilities to identify best practices in patient safety, patient-centered care and facility design. These visits, as well as community feedback, were invaluable and contributed to what we believe is a better overall project design with fewer impacts on the community."

In fact, the San Carlos Center’s design will follow the Green Guide for Health Care, a best practices guide for healthy and sustainable building design, construction and operations for the health care industry, which follows Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification guidelines. PAMF’s updated design includes drought-resistant plants, more pervious site area to reduce water runoff, green roof planting, solar window shading and more.

"We know the environmental impact of our medical center is important to the community," said Montalvo, who added that the updated design increases landscaping and other open space on the site by 56 percent.

In addition, the project will result in an environmental cleanup at the proposed site, and existing building materials on the site, such as steel framing and concrete, will be recycled.

Consultants hired by the City of San Carlos to draft the EIR will now review the addendum to the project application that includes the updated design, which is consistent with two of the alternatives studied as part of the EIR. Public hearings on the merits of the project are expected to begin this summer.

For more information about PAMF’s proposed San Carlos Center and the updated project design, visit www.pamf.org/sancarlos.