Antelope Valley Hospital

Description

Mission
Our mission at Antelope Valley Healthcare District is to provide quality service with care compassion and respect

Vision
Our vision for Antelope Valley Healthcare District is to deliver excellent service with the most qualified people and the latest in technology

Values
We will pursue excellence embrace change with innovation promote partnerships with clients while providing value and service to the community

History

Antelope Valley Hospital History
1949 Limited healthcare There were only 11 hospital beds serving a population of about 26000 Many local residents were forced to travel to Los Angeles for health care

1949 Community quotowned hospital Desert Community Hospital Inc was formed which spearheaded an election in 1953 to create the Antelope Valley Hospital District a legal entity which still operates AVH today

1953 Elections A total of 3318 residents voted for a new hospital district while 67 voted against it The election empowered the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors to appoint a fivemember board of directors to operate the proposed hospital

1953 Fundraising More than 2000 contributions had been made totaling 4347290 about 10000 dollars more than the amount needed to pay for the land In June 1953 the 20acre site was purchased at the cost of 1625 an acre Total price of the property was 32500

1953 Hill Burton Money had been raised for the land the next hurdle was to fund the new 41bed hospital building The federal governments Hill Burton Funds provided one third of the construction costs or 220189 with the state matching the federal grant This left one third of the money to be paid by the newlycreated hospital district

1953 Bond Issue Once more the hospital supporters went to the voters this time to receive approval of the 300000 bond issue to provide the districts onethird share of building costs

1954 Second Bond Issue The Valley was growing rapidly and it became apparent that a 41bed hospital was just too small The final vote was 54 to 1 in favor of the 350000 bond issue enlarging the hospital before it was built

1955 Hospital Opens Dedication ceremonies were held October 12 with about 5000 proud people touring the new hospital

1956 Losing money One year after the hospital opened the red ink was flowing Severe lack of ready cash was AV Hospitals biggest headache

1957 Auxiliary The Womens Auxiliary was proposed The bylaws were completed and approved by the board of directors

1958 Bonds not approved Two bond elections were held in an effort to obtain tax money to enlarge the hospital from 86 beds to 250 beds both attempts failed

1959 Hill Burton to the rescue AVH received an allocation of 1175272 Hill Burton funds from the Advisory Hospital Council of the California State Health Department The Funds would be used to enlarge the surgery department the delivery room the laboratory and emergency department adding a new south wing About 600000 would come from the AV Hospital District

1959 New construction Although a 250 bed hospital was the goal there was only enough funding to expand the Hospital to a 149bed facility

1959 Pharmacy Services were expanded and remodeled which allowed outpatients to fill prescription in the hospital

1960 Accreditation AVH received its first threeyear accreditation and was given a top rating for meeting the maximum standards

1960 Medicare 24hour Emergency Room was open but there were no fulltime emergency room doctors Physicians volunteered to take one 24hour rotation a month

1960 Medicare was just getting started

1962 Growing more The new wing expanded the capacity to 149 beds

1964 Cutting Taxes the philosophy of the AV Hospital Board of Directors was that the hospital should be off the tax roles and entirely self supporting Those persons who used the services of AVH should be the ones to pay for them not the tax payers

1964 Alpha Charter Guild AVH leadership saw the need for a hospital guild where young women could help the hospital without patient contact as well as raise funds with a debutante ball In May 1965 the first Hourglass Ball was held starting a tradition which is still held each Thanksgiving weekend

1965 Extended Care One of the first medical units with a specific purpose was the Extended Care Unit which resembled a nursing home

1971 Neurosurgery Department the new department meant that many patients who were the victims of auto accidents with head injuries could be treated locally instead of being sent to Los Angeles for care

1971 New to You Thrift Shop staffed entirely by volunteers this entity provides funds for the Auxiliary pledge to the hospital plus a place to donate used items and a pleasant working environment for volunteers

1973 Gift Foundation The foundation provided funds to support new services train medical personnel and honor loved ones as well as an opportunity for residents of the area to contribute for the advancement of patient care

1974 South wing The new wing would add 39 medicalsurgical beds to the hospital including a combined Intensive CareCoronary Care Unit Other additions included a special procedures room a new recovery room for surgery and a progressive care unit on the second floor The hospital was now at 184 beds

1975 Dedication The new wing is dedicated on October 12 1975 which also was the hospitals 20th anniversary

1978 Hospital goes high tech An automated analyzer is added to the laboratory The analyzer was capable of handling lab texts that previously had been done by hand one at a time by medical technologists The new equipment would handle an increased volume of laboratory tests needed because of a growing patient load

1979 SARS The Sexual Assault Response Services SARS program is a oneofakind program that provides sexual assault victims with more than physical treatment such as evidence collection

1983 Outpatient Treatment Center This service saved both money and time for numerous patients Adding the Outpatient Treatment Center followed a national trend among hospitals The centers were planned in an effort to keep stays short and costs down yet help the patient solve medical problems

1988 quotTower of Progressquot The tallest building in the Antelope Valley A total of 169000 square feet of space was added as the medical center dedicated the new tower in celebration of its 33rd anniversary The cost of the tower added on the west side of the building was 34642800 This brought the capacity of the hospital to 260 beds and is said to have been the only building with elevators in the area at the time

1999 Regional Valley Surgery Center opens Outpatient procedures and surgeries are offered

2003 Antelope Valley Outpatient Imaging Center opens Outpatient stateoftheart radiology procedures

2005 AVH Celebrates 50 Years of service to the community

2006 Women and Infants Pavilion This facility provides birthing services Most rooms are private and the newborn and mother stay in a room together

2009 TobaccoFree Campus Antelope Valley Hospital and all of its facilities and properties become tobaccofree zones providing a healthier environment for all who visit or work at the hospital

2010 Level II Trauma Center AV Hospital becomes a Level II Trauma Center on May 3 helping to provide faster care for those involved in serious accidents and allowing families to visit their loved ones without having to drive to Los Angelesbased trauma centers AV Hospital has the only Trauma Center in the Antelope Valley

2010 da Vincireg Robotic Surgery This stateoftheart surgical platform allows doctors to perform surgery with unsurpassed dexterity and precision which leads to significantly less pain less blood loss less scarring shorter recovery time a faster return to normal daily activities and in many cases better clinical outcomes for the patient