San Manuel Maternity Pavilion

San Manuel Band of Mission Indians tribal members and staff tour the San Manuel Maternity Pavilion.

In February of 2019, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians committed a gift of $25 million to support the construction of the maternity/labor and delivery floor. Announced during the 26th annual Children’s Hospital Foundation Gala, this gift of incredible generosity is the second largest ever made to Loma Linda University Health. To recognize this landmark gift, the fifth floor of the new Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital will be named the San Manuel Maternity Pavilion.

“San Manuel’s support will have a profound impact on the tiniest, most vulnerable patients from our communities,” said Richard H. Hart, MD, DrPH, president, Loma Linda University Health. “All of us are inspired by this trust.”

The opening of the San Manuel Maternity Pavilion inside the future hospital will bring full circle a relationship between Loma Linda University Health and the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians that spans more than a century.

“The best relationships are the ones that last the longest, and the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians and Loma Linda University Health have a friendship based on community service that stretches over a century,” said Hart. “San Manuel’s support of our new maternity pavilion is a significant addition to the many ways we work together to offer hope to our region’s most vulnerable mothers and children.”

Courtney Martin, DO, medical director of maternity services at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital, was also overjoyed by the continued partnership between the hospital and the tribe. “This gift shows that Loma Linda and the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians care deeply for children even before they’re born because they’re providing the best possible care for mothers,” Martin said. “As a whole, we recognize that investing in mothers’ access to care and the space where care is provided trickles down to the quality of life for babies and children.”

The Pavilion will house services including a well-baby nursery, antepartum and postpartum patient rooms, labor and delivery, cesarean operating rooms and obstetric exam rooms. The new space will allow Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital to continue as a leader in high-risk birth care for the Inland Empire region and beyond. More than 3,200 babies are delivered in the hospital each year. Approximately 50% of births taking place at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital meet the criteria for being high-risk. And when needed, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, ranked at Level 4, the highest distinction possible for neonatal services, is close by to provide care for these tiniest of babies.

Kevin Balli, MD, chair of gynecology and obstetrics at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital, said the Pavilion will allow the hospital to continue as the leader in high-risk birth care in the region and continue dismantling the barriers preventing rapid access for all women to the highest levels of care. “This partnership could not come at a more critical time, as the proportion of women with high-risk pregnancies continues to steadily grow in the Inland Empire and nationwide,” Balli said. “The generosity of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians will significantly increase our space and equipment — two critical factors – as we attempt to drive wait times down and access up. Our goal as OB-GYN physicians at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital is to provide the best possible care. This gift empowers that goal exponentially.”

Mothers, babies and children of the Inland Empire will benefit for generations to come from the abundant generosity of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians and its partnership with Loma Linda University Health.