Washington Hospital Breaks Ground on Critical Care Pavilion

FREMONT, Calif. — Washington Hospital in Fremont broke ground Feb. 24 on its $339 million Morris Hyman Critical Care Pavilion, a new emergency and critical care facility.

Construction of the facility is the largest public works project in the history of Washington Township Health Care District.

“The Morris Hyman Critical Care Pavilion will answer the district’s need for expanded emergency and critical care facilities and will be among the most advanced in the Bay Area,” Nancy Farber, CEO of Washington Hospital Healthcare System, said in a statement. “Completion of this project is critical for the hospital to continue to provide high-quality health care services and provide them in a seismically safe facility.”

The critical care pavilion represents Phase II of Washington Hospital’s three-phase master plan. The facility will use the latest seismic technology to ensure it will continue to function in the event of a major earthquake. The building’s foundation will be supported by a technology called base isolation, which is designed to move during a seismic event while keeping the building intact and functional. The seismic improvements are required as a result of California’s unfunded seismic mandate that requires hospitals to meet strict seismic standards by 2030.

Named for the founder of Fremont Bank, the pavilion will house a new and expanded emergency department, which will be approximately four times the size of the current emergency department. It will also include a state-of-the-art intensive care unit (ICU), as well as an advanced coronary care unit (CCU). The new ICU and CCU will have 48 beds compared to the current capacity of 28 beds. All of the rooms will be private and larger in size. The pavilion will also have an additional 68 private medical-surgical beds and support space.

“Morris Hyman was not only the founder of our bank but one of the most influential leaders of our community, particularly as it was being created in the 1950s,” Michael Wallace, board chairman of Fremont Bank and a member of the Washington Township Health Care District board of directors, said in a statement. “He knew the importance of continuously improving the Hospital’s services as our community grew and as technology and the practice of medicine changed over the years.”

In addition to the Critical Care Pavilion, construction on a new parking garage is underway, which will provide employee parking and chargers for electric vehicles. The parking garage is needed to make room for future construction as part of Phase III of the hospital’s facility master plan, which will include a new patient building. The Phase III building is expected to be completed ahead of the 2030 state seismic deadline.

“The groundbreaking for the new Morris Hyman Critical Care Pavilion is an important occasion for many reasons,” Hattie Marie Hyman Hughes, president of the Fremont Bank Foundation, said in a statement. “Not only will this new building be a vital and critical asset to the community but my father, Morris Hyman, truly loved this hospital and would see this as an honor to have his name recognized by the dedicated staff and institution of Washington Hospital.”