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A NEW ERA BEGINS The completion of the Dennis and Carol Troesch Medical Campus ushers in the next chapter of healthcare, research and education in Loma Linda. By Nancy Yuen
Contributed report The new campus was made possible by Vision 2020 – Loma Linda University Health’s Campaign for a Whole Tomorrow. The complex is named after Dennis and Carol Troesh; the announcement of their $100 million gift in support of the new facility was made seven years ago, on July 15, 2014. No single photograph can capture the exact look of the Dennis and Carol Troesh Medical Campus because as the sun rises, the color of the dichroic glass on the Children’s tower changes throughout the day. The colors vary as the sky and seasons change, sometimes brilliant, sometimes muted. As guests and staff enter the complex they are greeted by a beloved and familiar sight: the “Come Unto Me” sculpture that was originally stationed in front of the iconic cloverleaf towers. In preparation for opening day fencing that surrounded the construction area for the Dennis and Carol Troesh Medical Campus was removed, revealing lush, tree-filled landscaping that surrounds the new buildings, one of the carefully planned benefits for patients, guests and staff. On Friday, August 6, a joyous virtual ribbon cutting ceremony for the campus was held on the 14
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side of the building facing Anderson Street, one block away from the School of Nursing, Move-in day took place two days later, with hundreds of staff and volunteers from throughout Loma Linda University Health working together to move more than 300 patients into their new, private hospital rooms. Two years of preparation led up to the Sunday, August 9, 2021, when the 9-story Children’s Hospital tower opened and the adult hospital transitioned from the iconic cloverleaf towers to the new 16-story complex. Following a carefully orchestrated plan that took place over six-anda-half hours, 239 adult patients and 62 pediatric patients were moved. As the facility’s inaugural patients, they would be the first to receive care. In preparation, Allison Ong, Executive Director of the Campus Transformation Project, oversaw intense planning and practice sessions to ensure that the many pieces of complex equipment needed to provide lifesaving treatment for hundreds of patients were tested, and that the staff and facilities were ready.
