Five new emergency department and trauma beds opened this week at RUHS Medical Center in Moreno Valley.

Moreno Valley, Ca.—Riverside University Health System opened five new beds in its emergency department and trauma center this week to meet the growing demand for services at its Moreno Valley-based Medical Center.

The additional beds bring the total number of emergency and trauma beds at the hospital to 45. At the 125-year-old public teaching hospital, more than 90,000 patients are seen annually in the emergency department and level 2 trauma center, where the most gravely injured patients are treated.

Doctors at RUHS Medical Center are developing a robust research program and recruiting internationally renowned trauma surgeons with an eye on becoming Riverside County’s first level 1 trauma center by summer of 2020. A level 1 trauma center serves as a regional leader in trauma prevention and education with all the resources to stabilize and treat traumatic injuries.

“We are the safety net for our community and becoming a level 1 trauma center is essential, said Dr. Raul Coimbra, who serves as surgeon and chief at RUHS Medical Center after building one of the world’s leading trauma programs at UC San Diego Health Hillcrest. “When we put patients in the center of our decisions we provide better care. We become more efficient and ultimately we have better outcomes,” he added.

The expansion also includes a new lobby and flexible space that can be shifted to accommodate the ebb and flow of a busy emergency department. The entrance is being remodeled and will open later this summer.  It’s all  part of an effort by RUHS officials to improve services and expand access to primary and specialty care in an expansive 7,300 square-mile county that has only half the physicians needed for the 2.5 million people who live here.

“We are focused on always being prepared for any emergency that presents to our hospital, and we are committed to providing high-quality patient-centered care,” said Leah Patterson, executive nursing director of critical care services at the Medical Center. “We hope you’ll never need our emergency department or trauma services but you’ll be in good hands if you do.”