Issue link: https://blog.providence.org/i/1427831
2 | Health Matters: Providence St. Mary Medical Center S erving the health care needs of the High Desert community has always been and will always be the center of focus here at Providence St. Mary Medical Center. Over the past few months, you may have seen news circulating about Providence and Kaiser Permanente partnering to build a state-of-the-art medical campus that will be the new home for St. Mary Medical Center. While dreams of a new hospital have been in the works for quite some time, it gives me great pleasure to say that by the end of this decade, the High Desert will be equipped with a leading-edge medical campus that can meet the growing needs of our community. As part of that vision, the new St. Mary Medical Center will feature approximately 260 private rooms and will house some of the latest technological advancements in the medical field. Situated on 99 acres in Victorville—initially purchased in 2007 and located south of Bear Valley Road between Smoke Tree Road and Mesa Street—St. Mary Medical Center will serve as the area's only hospital west of Interstate 15. Of course, this exciting joint venture pairs two of the country 's most respected health organizations. Kaiser Permanente has more than 100,000 members in the High Desert and, like us, they are ecstatic that this partnership will bring critical health services closer to home for them. Working together, Providence and Kaiser Permanente will advance access to primary care and specialty care, embrace innovation, enhance the patient experience and live our shared mission of serving the needs of our communities. We truly are excited to begin this new chapter in our storied history. At the same time, we are very sensitive to concerns about the move from Apple Valley to Victorville. For the past year, we've worked tirelessly to ensure health-related services will be offered at our current site after the move. We're also working to mitigate any possible economic impact. Apple Valley has been our beloved home for nearly seven decades. Those who live in Apple Valley have always been dedicated supporters of St. Mary and our mission to serve our community as an expression of God's healing love—something that will never be lost on us. No matter where we reside, believe me when I say Providence St. Mary will always be there to serve Apple Valley residents. As for our current campus, we'll do everything we can not only to ensure that health services remain, but to look into avenues that can expand our footprint in the area through other exciting ventures. While there's a lot of hard work ahead of us before we officially welcome the first patients to our new facility, we know this project will ultimately further our vision of Health for a Better World. Thank you for your unwavering support as we expand access to high-quality and affordable health care for the greater High Desert region. Respectfully, Randall Castillo, Chief Executive Providence St. Mary Medical Center To Our Beloved Community