Scripps has unveiled a $2.6 billion master plan that includes the construction of three new hospitals and the retrofitting of two others.
It Is the largest building program in the health care system's 125-year history.
The most ambitious project will be a complete makeover of Scripps Mercy Hospital in Hillcrest. Plans call for replacing the existing facility with a 15-story tower.
The health care system will also build new structures on its campuses in La Jolla and Encinitas, and will earthquake-proof its main facilities at Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista and Scripps Green.
In addition, the master plan includes a new outpatient center in Oceanside.
Scripps CEO Chris Van Gorder said an increasing number of surgeries are being done outside of hospitals.
“Health care’s changing pretty dramatically in that way," Van Gorder explained. "But the technology built in the hospitals is very different today as well as it was 50 years ago, from the private rooms to robotics and all sorts of efficiency technologies and safety technologies. So, it’s time for us to rebuild the system."
Construction is set to get underway in 2021. Scripps plans to finance the modernization program through a combination of revenue, bonds and philanthropy.
