UC San Diego Medical Center, Hillcrest

UC San Diego Medical Center, Hillcrest
UC San Diego Health
UC San Diego Medical Center, Hillcrest inpatient tower
Geography
Location	San Diego, California, US
Coordinates	32°45′16″N 117°09′58″W / 32.75442°N 117.166009°W / 32.75442; -117.166009Coordinates: 32°45′16″N 117°09′58″W / 32.75442°N 117.166009°W / 32.75442; -117.166009
Organisation
Care system	Private
Hospital type	Teaching
Affiliated university	UC San Diego School of Medicine
Services
Emergency department	I
Beds	390
Helipad	Yes
History
Founded	1966
Links
Website	health.ucsd.edu
Other links	University of California San Diego Jacobs Medical Center

The UC San Diego Medical Center, Hillcrest (also referred to as the Hillcrest Medical Center or simply UC San Diego Medical Center) is one of two medical centers of UC San Diego Health and the primary teaching hospital for the University of California San Diego School of Medicine.

The 390-bed hospital offers a range of primary care and specialized services and houses several regional services, including the San Diego Regional Burn Center and the region's only Comprehensive Stroke Center. Its emergency room includes the first overall and sole academic Level I Trauma Center serving San Diego County and Imperial County. It and the UC San Diego Jacobs Medical Center are the only two academic teaching hospitals in San Diego.

The history of medical care in Hillcrest dates back to 1904, when patients from the Poor Farm in Mission Valley were transferred to the new three-story San Diego County Hospital there. In 1958, the UC Regents approved the creation of a medical school at the University of California San Diego, coinciding with the county's plan to create a $12.5 million, 600-bed medical center to replace the structurally deficient county hospital. The eleven-story, 623-bed Hillcrest hospital opened in 1963, and control was transferred to UCSD in 1966 for an initial lease payment of $350,000 a year.

Over the next fifteen years, the renamed University Hospital expanded its services rapidly. In 1973, the Regional Burn Center was established, followed by the Regional Trauma Center in 1976, the Outpatient Center in 1977, and the Cancer Center in 1978. In 1981, the University of California system purchased the hospital from the county for $17 million. It continued to expand services, while reducing the number of inpatient beds as needed. In 1988, the creation of Thornton Hospital on the La Jolla campus allowed the regents to reduce the number of Hillcrest beds from 447 to 327. The hospital received a 78,000 square foot, $32 million facelift in 1992.