Good Samaritan hospital proposal would triple size of San Jose campus

SAN JOSE — Good Samaritan has filed a detailed proposal to revamp and expand its hospital campus in San Jose, dramatic changes that are poised to triple the size of the current complex.

Among the major additions: A new and taller hospital wing that would sprout next to the existing hospital at 2425 Samaritan Drive in San Jose, a large medical office building and two new multi-level parking structures, the proposal on file at City Hall shows.

Good Samaritan’s proposal to greatly expand the size and scope of the current hospital facilities in southwest San Jose is being driven by an array of trends in the healthcare sector, according to the planning documents.

“Changes in operational and patient care models, increases in average patient acuity and disease prevalence, increased use of private patient rooms, the dramatic evolution and impact of technology, and modification of regulations and building codes” were the factors that Good Sam listed in its proposal.

The new development and the revamp of the existing hospital building, which will be retained, would occur on the existing hospital campus that occupies 19.9 acres near the intersection of state routes 17 and 85.

“The project buildout would substantially maintain the existing buildings to the maximum extent possible,” the Good Samaritan proposal states. “The project assumes growth will occur in phases so as to maintain the beds and facility operations without downtime of critical services.”

The existing hospital totals 450,700 square feet, according to the preliminary development proposal. At full buildout, the campus buildings, including the new hospital wing and a proposed medical office building, would total just under 1.37 million square feet — triple the size of the existing square footage.

The proposal envisions that the project would be developed in two major phases, consisting of an interim phase and the full buildout of the new campus.

The interim, or initial, phase of the development would expand the existing hospital by 260,000 square feet, bringing the size of the campus to 710,700 square feet at that point.

“The initial phase construction is estimated to be completed by 2029,” Good Samaritan stated in the planning documents.

The final phase of the expansion would add another 455,000 square feet in new hospital facilities and another 200,000 square feet in a separate medical office building, for an additional 655,000 square feet in this ultimate segment. It’s this final phase that would triple the scope of the campus to the final size of 1.37 million square feet.

The healthcare provider, whose owner is Tennessee-based HCA Healthcare, has crafted a preliminary proposal that would ensure the existing hospital would continue to operate while the expansion and construction is underway.

The existing hospital won’t be demolished as a result of the development but remain in operation after the project is completed.

The operating rooms in the hospital may become larger as a result of the project, the proposal indicates. These changes would also help Good Sam keep up with industry trends for operating rooms.

Patient cases have become more complex, which means more caregivers and equipment are in a typical modern operating room.

“Computers, larger anesthesia carts, perfusion machines, integrated ceiling-mounted monitors, and mobile X-rays are just some of the equipment routinely brought into the operating room,” Good Samaritan stated in the proposal.

Good Samaritan officials see the proposal as a way to not only expand the hospital but to also bring the campus into the modern era of how patients are typically accommodated in the most updated facilities.

“For a variety of reasons (patient privacy, infection control, patient preference), hospitals have moved away from multi-bed inpatient rooms,” Good Sam states in the project proposal.

Good Sam’s patient rooms at present are out of step with current trends, the hospital stated in the proposal.

“Today, private patient rooms are the norm,” the hospital noted in the planning documents. “Currently, Good Samaritan Hospital does not have any private patient rooms.”