Parking at the hospital is about to get easier. On Monday, June 24, Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital will open a long-awaited parking lot located directly in front of the hospital’s Emergency entrance. Accessible by Bay Street, the new lot provides about 90 spaces for patient and visitor parking only and will allow easy access for patient drop-off and pick-up at the building doors.
From this parking lot, people can access the hospital through the Emergency entrance or continue to use the Ninth Street walkway through the old building. “We know this parking lot has been a long time coming for folks in our community, and we celebrate its opening,” said SPCH Chief Executive Officer, Lesley Ogden, MD. “While we know it won’t accommodate every visitor to the hospital, it will ease the parking strain until more lots are built.”
In addition to this newly opened lot, patients and visitors can continue to park in the lot at the
corner of Abbey and Ninth streets, and at the Center for Health Education at 740 SW Ninth St.
Parking is still available nearest the old hospital and on surface streets. Employees will continue to park off-campus.
“We have reiterated to employees that they are to continue to park off-campus for the
foreseeable future, leaving the closest spots for patients. We have also asked that any visiting
employee from our other hospital sites follow the same rules,” Ogden added. SPCH continues to lease three off-campus lots for staff, as well as incentivizing them to park
outside the zone adjoining the hospital campus.
Meanwhile, the second phase of construction continues. The 1988 building has been
demolished to its steel beams, a new roof is being installed, and the seismic retrofit is
underway. Once complete, the oldest section of the hospital bordering Ninth Street will be torn down for parking. Anticipated completion of the full project is late next summer.
information and photo provided by SPCH