Expansion is under way at the Hospital Infantil de las Californias in Tijuana, the only pediatric medical facility in the entire northern region of Mexico.
A groundbreaking ceremony for the first phase expansion was held June 23.
The Phase 1 expansion plan calls for a laboratory, radiology department, blood bank, 12 additional consultation rooms, education center, nutrition department, pharmacy and program offices.
Currently, the building that dates back to 1994 stands at only 3,400 square feet. The facility is run by two boards on both sides of the border , the Foundation for the Children of the Californias in San Diego and the Foundacion Para Los Ninos de las Californias.
When San Diego Padres owner John Moores toured the facility, he said he and his family “were moved by the enormous need for adequate health care for the children of our neighbors.”
– Matching Donations
Pledged For Telethon
A large portion of the money set aside for the project was provided through Moores’ efforts. The Padres owner pledged $2 for every $1 raised through an organized 2000 Telethon, broadcast in Tijuana on XEWT-Televisa Channel 12 on April 29.
Call-in pledges during the telethon raised more than $800,000 for the project. With the addition of Moores’ matching contributions of $1.7 million, the event raised more than $2.5 million for the project.
First phase renovations are expected to be complete by April 2001. From there, the hospital will seek additional funds to continue expansion, which will include surgery and emergency departments, observation beds, a chapel, play areas and an ecological garden.
The third and final stage of the expansion involves the addition of 82 beds.
– Expansion Estimated
To Cost $12 Million
The entire pediatric facility expansion project is estimated to cost $12 million.
With 43 percent of Tijuana’s population younger than 18, the third phase accommodations will eventually be made to sufficiently care for this portion of the population, said Dr. David Collins, former chief-of-staff of Children’s Hospital in San Diego.
Collins, a Foundation for the Children of the Californias board member, stressed that both sides of the border need healthy youngsters to ensure the future of the economy.
With only eight paid staff members, supporters of Collins’ philosophy include the 75 volunteers currently servicing the hospital and the 100-plus doctors from the United States who make regular visits to the hospital.
With the help of volunteers, the Padres and other anonymous donators, the future’s health care may be controlled.
“This is a big home run by both cities and the Padres,” said Tijuana Mayor Francisco Arturo Vega de la Madrid. “John Moores knows that baseball has no borders, and neither does disease.”
S.D. Dialogue to Discuss Regional Economic Strategies
San Diego Dialogue will hold the second of its 2000 series “Forum Fronterizo Policy Luncheon” from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. July 28.
The topic of discussion will be “Regional Strategies for the Global Economy: Perspectives From San Diego and Mexico.”
Guest speakers will be Dr. Irwin Jacobs, chairman and CEO of Qualcomm Inc., and Dr. Luis de la Calle, secretary of international trade negotiations at Mexico’s Secretar & #283;a de Comercio y Fomento Industrial. The luncheon will be held at the Westin Horton Plaza, 910 Broadway Circle.
The cost of the event is $50 for general admission, $30 for students and $450 for a table of 10. For information and registration, call (858) 534-8638 or visit (www.sddialogue. org).
