Kaiser’s “state-of-the-art” San Jose hospital will have 300-plus beds

SAN JOSE — Kaiser Permanente is eyeing what it touts as a “state-of-the-art” new hospital in San Jose that would accommodate more than 300 beds and eventually replace the aging existing hospital, city plans show.

The new medical center would sprout on what at present is a surface parking lot and outdoor COVID vaccine center on the south side of Hospital Parkway in San Jose, according to the city documents.

“Kaiser Permanente is requesting a planned development permit to replace the existing hospital with a new 650,000-square-foot hospital with a 36,000-square-foot energy center,” the healthcare titan stated in documents submitted to the San Jose Planning Department on Jan. 12.

The new hospital would accommodate about 22% more hospital beds than the existing half-century-old medical center that contains 247 beds.

“The new state-of-the-art hospital will have 302 beds, which is 55 beds larger than the existing hospital,” Kaiser said in the planning documents.

The existing hospital totals about 242,900 square feet. That means the new medical center would be well over twice as large as the current complex, which was built in 1974.

“There is a need to right-size the modern facility to include private patient rooms,” Kaiser stated in the planning documents.

Plus, current building codes require updated clearances for beds and other mobile equipment, improved patient and staff safety, better lines of sight from nursing stations, increased daylight in rooms, and upgraded operational efficiencies, the proposal indicated.

The new medical center would consist of six stories and contain a basement, the city documents show.

In the later stages of the expansion of the Kaiser campus, an outpatient medical facility totaling 250,000 square feet is slated to be developed on what is now a surface parking lot on International Circle.

The existing hospital could continue to provide some medical services before it’s bulldozed.

“Kaiser Permanente intends to demolish the existing hospital structure in the long-term scenario,” the healthcare organization stated in the city documents. “However, in the short-term, Kaiser Permanente requests the flexibility to re-purpose up to 150,000 square feet of existing hospital floor area for outpatient medical services use, with the rest of the building remaining vacant.”

Kaiser intends to build a seven-level parking garage with 1,430 vehicle spaces as part of the expansion and modernization project. The new garage structure would help offset the loss of the surface parking spaces that will be replaced by the new hospital and energy complex.

“The energy center is designed as an all-electric facility and will provide heating, cooling and hot water to the new hospital without the use of natural gas,” the Kaiser proposal stated.

The modernization of the Kaiser campus in south San Jose is being driven in part by California regulations.

A state law known as SB 1953 requires that hospitals undergo seismic upgrades or be replaced by 2030. Kaiser determined that it didn’t make sense to attempt to upgrade the existing medical center.

The age of the existing hospital, combined with cutting-edge medical technologies and changes to how healthcare services are delivered argued in favor of building an ultra-modern hospital.

“Kaiser Permanente has determined that a hospital replacement will most effectively enable the successful provision of services to members, with limited service disruptions, and is the most cost-effective approach to meeting state-mandated seismic requirements,” Kaiser stated in the planning documents.

The new hospital’s emergency entrance will be on the north side of the building and will be very visible from Cottle Road, Kaiser stated.

“Site amenities include a healing garden as well as outdoor seating for dining and respite directly adjacent to the hospital cafe,” Kaiser’s proposal shows. “Additionally, a flexible-use plaza … is available to support a farmer’s market or other community gatherings.” A curving canopy would cover the main entrance.

The project is slated to be built in phases over a period of several years.

“Construction is estimated to start in July 2024 and end in August 2029 with the new hospital facility to be open to patients before January 2030,” Kaiser stated.