MHD's Medical City Design Plans Presented to March JPA

The initial design plans of the March Healthcare Development (MHD) were presented to the March Joint Powers Authority (JPA) in a public meeting. MHD is building a ‘Medical City’ on land that was formerly part of March AFB.

March LifeCare will be built in three phases and includes a hospital, ambulatory care facilities, medical office buildings, skilled nursing centers, assisted living residences, and retail. The campus is being designed by the world-renowned company HOK, the number one architectural design firm in the country. The builder is McCarthy Building Companies, the top producer of hospitals in California.

The March JPA is the agency responsible for securing development on the former Air Force Base. They have worked with MHD leadership for the past six years on the project and showed enthusiasm at the design and building concepts presented by HOK and McCarthy.

MHD Managing Partner, Don Ecker, introduced representatives of what he called a “world class team” including: Alicia Wachtel, VP of Healthcare at HOK, John Shreve, Senior VP and Director of the HOK Planning Group, and Bruce Nelson, VP Business Development of McCarthy Building. Highlights of their presentation included:

• The uniqueness of March LifeCare, which includes blending academic research with healthcare treatment, with a focus on wellness and prevention. Wachtel stated a key design point when considering the patient of the future campus is, “How well do you want to live your life?” This is particularly important for the design of the Senior Continuum of Care that will meet the health and lifestyle needs of the aging population.
• Staying true to the history and legacy of March AFB by including design elements that support the significant role of the base in American history. John Shreve described a grand circular March Boulevard, with the feel of a pedestrian mall that would provide entrance to medical facilities, shops and cafes, and wellness and healing gardens.
• Job creation in an area with high unemployment. Bruce Nelson described McCarthy’s extensive delivery of high quality healthcare projects given aggressive timeframes. He also assured JPA members that workers will come from the Inland Empire. The project is expected to create 12,700 construction jobs, and 7,200 full-time healthcare and related jobs.

Source: http://www.mccarthy.com/