UCLA Health contractors have begun the process of transforming a former community medical center into a world-class neuropsychiatric hospital about six miles east of the university’s Los Angeles campus. The current timetable calls for project completion and occupancy in 2026.
Internal demolition and abatement started this month at the former Olympia Medical Center located at 5900 W. Olympic Boulevard near San Vicente Boulevard in Los Angeles. UCLA acquired the facility following its closure in January 2021.
Subsequent project phases are expected to begin later this spring and summer. They include external demolition, construction of a new building wing, extensive renovations, installation of state-of the art medical equipment and various other work to obtain state licensure.
When complete, the location will be home to a freestanding neuropsychiatric hospital designed to support patients, their families, and the larger community.
The 74 beds currently located in Stewart and Lynda Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA in Westwood will be relocated to the new hospital, which is planned to include 119 inpatient beds. Plans also call for mental health urgent care services.
UCLA Health is among the few remaining providers of inpatient behavioral health care services in Los Angeles County, which has a long-standing capacity shortage.
“UCLA Health is making a major investment in a world-class hospital that will offer a full continuum of behavioral health services and improve access in our community for people in need of care,” said Johnese Spisso, president of UCLA Health and CEO of the UCLA Hospital System. “UCLA Health is uniquely qualified to bring this type of specialized care to our community.”
The University of California Board of Regents approved the project’s scope, design and financing in November 2022.
