HMC design team members recently participated in a “Topping Ceremony” for the six-story, 160,000-square-foot Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Patient Tower. Members from the HMC design team included Jonathan Richert, An Ho, David Edwards, Shady Hakim, Phan Luc and Kirk Rose. A ceremonial steel beam signed by over 100 people was hoisted in place with a tree and an American flag attached. According to Project Executive Mike Funderberg from our builder-partner Bernards, “The practice of ‘topping out’ a new building dates back to the ancient Scandinavian religious rite of placing a tree atop a new building to appease the tree-dwelling spirits displaced in its construction.”

In an effort to further meet the healthcare needs of the Santa Clarita Valley, this expansion has proved to be a stimulating step forward in that direction. The patient tower features 142 additional patient beds to the hospital’s campus and two new surgery suites in the Women’s Services Unit. Other features include a new, larger cafeteria, expanded laboratory service and materials management services, and a rooftop helipad with direct access to the emergency department.

Hospital CEO Roger Seaver thanked the design and construction team and hospital staff, along with others who contributed to the foundation campaign to build the patient tower. Marsha McLean, Mayor of Santa Clarita, thanked the hospital for expanding the healthcare capacity. The eventful day came to a close with a lunch and fellowship. With a scheduled opening for public use in 2019, the patient tower will serve as a valued necessity for the health and well-being of the Santa Clarity community.