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TCMC Historical Timeline

TCMC Historical Timeline2021-10-20T11:49:51-07:00

Medicine may have changed dramatically since 1961, but our commitment to excellent patient outcomes has not. We’ve evolved into a regional healthcare leader while staying true to our mission of advancing the health and wellness of our community.

Whether you’re a Carlsbad resident with chronic back pain, a Vista family with a new baby on the way, or a weekend athlete showing signs of a stroke on an Oceanside beach; you can rely on our physicians, nurses, and medical technologies to be there for you.

As we reflect on 60 years of achievements and challenges, it’s with gratitude and respect. Tri-City Medical Center is the product of thousands of dedicated healthcare professionals who have devoted themselves to healing and helping the people of North County. It’s also the product of our many community supporters and advocates who’ve stood by us to make us what we are today:

• A nationally recognized leader in heart and stroke care.

• Innovators in orthopedic and spine care with advanced robotic technologies.

• Committed community servants partnering in the care and treatment of our most precious asset—the amazing people of our healthcare district.

It’s an honor to share our 60-year journey with you as we celebrate our people and communities and look forward to our next 60 years.

Steve Dietlin
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Rocky Chavez
BOARD CHAIR

  • All
  • 1950s
  • 1961 – 1971
  • 1972 – 1981
  • 1982 – 1991
  • 1992 – 2001
  • 2002 – 2011
  • 2012 – 2021
1950
  • 1955
       

    1955 - 1955

    Tri-City Hospital's Founding Fathers - Campaign Chairmen: Chamber Presidents Eugene L. Geil (Oceanside), C.H. McLean (Vista), and B.M. Christiansen (Carlsbad).

  • 1960's
       

    1960's - 1961-1971

    Through the 1950s, the north coastal region of San Diego County was rural and had few services of its own. However, by 1960 the region was beginning to grow rapidly and the need for community healthcare to maintain prosperity became apparent. Recognizing this, visionaries from the Carlsbad, Oceanside and Vista Chambers of Commerce, along with elected officials and business leaders from the three cities, developed a plan for creating a hospital to serve the needs of an emerging region. Soon, with the support of local leaders and voters, a bond was approved to construct a hospital and the Tri-City Hospital District was formed.

  • 1961
       

    1961 - July 16, 1961

    Opening Date: The hospital opened its doors with 87 beds and 42 physicians on staff.

  • 1961
       

    1961 - July 16, 1961

    James Richard Barrett, son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Barrett of Vista, was the first baby born at the new hospital.

  • 1961
       

    1961 - July 18, 1961

    Tri-City Hospital Auxiliary manned their post for the first time.

  • 1963
       

    1963 - 1963

    Community advocates formed the Friends of the Tri-City Hospital, now called the Tri-City Hospital Foundation, to provide philanthropic support.

  • 1960's
       

    1960's - Quality Care Close to Home

    Oceanside, Vista, Carlsbad, and the broader north county coastal community now had access to high-quality healthcare services close to home.

  • 1968
       

    1968 - 1968

    Just seven years after its doors first opened, Tri-City Hospital expanded to increase patient capacity. In 1968, a south tower with 45 beds, a north wing with 42 beds for extended care, and a host of technologies were all added to the hospital. In total, Tri-City Hospital now has 117 patient beds.

  • 1970's
       

    1970's - 1972 – 1981

    As Carlsbad, Oceanside, and Vista transitioned from an agricultural region to suburban communities and welcomed industry-leading businesses, Tri-City Hospital was there to provide family health services, labor and delivery support, and breakthrough medical innovations that ensured residents could get the care they needed close to home.

  • 1970's
       

    1970's - Community Care

    A decade after its opening, Tri-City Hospital is already firmly established as a vital community asset. Additional investments into new health technologies like CAT scan and ultrasound devices, while also welcoming more world-class healthcare workers help the hospital deliver the care the community deserves.

  • 1970's
       

    1970's - Helipad addition

    As part of the hospital's expansion of offerings in the '70s, a new helipad was added for expedited access to air ambulance services.

  • 1979
       

    1979 - 1979

    By the end of the 70s, the North Wing was constructed, adding 60 new patient beds, Outpatient Surgery with two surgery suites and eight recovery beds were built, and Oceanside Community Hospital was purchased and its 66 patient beds were integrated into Tri-City Hospital, bringing the total bed count at the hospital to 297.

  • 1970's
       

    1970's - Outpatient Surgery

    In the early 1980s, outpatient surgery was opened with two surgery suites and eight recovery beds.

  • 1981
       

    1981 - October 3, 1981

    Tri-City Hospital Foundation donates $34,400 to Tri-City Hospital District (Equivalent to $100K today).

  • 1980's
       

    1980's - 1982 – 1991

    In the 1980s the cities of Carlsbad, Oceanside, and Vista, grew by more than 80 percent, thus expanding the need for increasingly sophisticated healthcare services. In response, Tri-City Hospital added a four-story wing and remodeled existing facilities. By 1985, the official name of the hospital was changed to Tri-City Medical Center to reflect its growth into a comprehensive, regional facility.

  • 1983
       

    1983 - 1983

    A 29-bed Medical Health Unit opened and 12 additional medical/surgical beds were added, bringing the total count to 338.

  • 1985
       

    1985 - 1985

    By 1985, the official name of the hospital was changed from Tri-City Hospital to Tri-City Medical Center to reflect its growth into a comprehensive, regional facility.

  • 1980's
       

    1980's - Decade of Expansion

    From the mid-80s through into the early 90s, Tri-City Medical Center continued to add capacity to meet the demand of the community while also adding new technologies to deliver modern health care services, including performing the first heart surgery at the hospital.

  • 1986
       

    1986 - 1986

    Tri-City Medical Center adds a neonatal intensive care unit.

  • 1988
       

    1988 - 1988

    Edgar and Jo Ann Jones “Special Touch” Program and Mammography Center established.

  • 1988
       

    1988 - 1988

    Specialized Neurology Unit opened.

  • 1989
       

    1989 - 1989

    Magnetic resonance imaging center.

  • 1990's
       

    1990's - 1992 – 2001

    By the 1990s, Tri-City Medical Center had grown to be a vital link in the regional delivery of healthcare for residents of Carlsbad, Oceanside, Vista, and its surrounding communities. For three years in a row, it was recognized as a Top 100 Hospital in the country, validating that Tri-City Medical Center had become a beacon of high quality, evidence-based healthcare in San Diego County.

  • 1990's
       

    1990's - Meeting Demand

    Tri-City Medical Center expanded critical services and programs including another expansion of the emergency department, opened a new outpatient surgery center, established the innovative Beatrice Riggs French Woman’s Center and led a new stroke screening community outreach program.

  • 1994
       

    1994 - August 1994

    The Siegal Family Surgical Suites open to support advanced surgical procedures and are dedicated in honor of John & Robert Siegal.

  • 2002's
       

    2002's - 2002 – 2011

    In the 2000s, the healthcare landscape change dramatically and Tri-City Medical Center responded by expanding its primary medical campus and community engagement efforts to ensure access to quality care throughout the community.

  • 2000's
       

    2000's - Cardiac Wellness Center

    In the early 2000s, patients started to be treated at the Cardiac Wellness Center.

  • 2000's
       

    2000's - Opening the Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine

    Opening the Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine was a notable achievement in the 2000s.

  • 2000's
       

    2000's - Edgar & Jo Anne Jones Women’s Diagnostic Center

    The Edgar & Jo Anne Jones Women’s Diagnostic Center was opened in the 2000s.

  • 2000's
       

    2000's - John S. Middlekauf Outpatient Radiology Center

    In the 2000s, the John S. Middlekauf Outpatient Radiology Center was opened.

  • 2000's
       

    2000's - Expansion of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

    The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit was expanded in the 2000s.

  • 2000's
       

    2000's - Expansion of the Emergency Department’s Imaging and Diagnostic Capabilities

    The expansion of the Emergency Department’s imaging and diagnostic capabilities occurred in the 2000s by adding a then industry-leading 64-Slice CT scanner.

  • 2011
       

    2011 - 2011

    In 2011, Tri-City Medical Center brought robotic surgery to coastal north county with the addition of the daVinci Surgical System, enhancing the physician’s capabilities to improve surgical outcomes and reduce recovery time for patients.

  • 2011
       

    2011 - 2011

    The Orthopedic and Spine Institute was formed to enhance the orthopedics and spine services available in North San Diego County, featuring patient-centric care coupled with an emphasis on advanced technology. Physician specialties included Orthopedic Surgery, Neurosurgery, and Podiatry.

  • 2011
       

    2011 - 2011

    Cancer Institute started taking patients.

  • 2010's
       

    2010's - 2012 – 2021

    In the 2010s, Tri-City Medical Center continued advancing healthcare in the heart of coastal North County with innovative treatments and technologies hyper-focused on the needs of the community as well as nationally recognized care initiatives. It formalized its commitment to engaging with the community to enhance their health outside of the hospital’s walls through COASTAL Commitment. In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic rocked the world and Tri-City Medical Center led the community through the once-in-a-century worldwide public health crisis.

  • 2012
       

    2012 - April 2012

    In spring 2012, Tri-City Medical Center launched Code Caleb, an overhead announcement that summons specialized Neonatal and Emergency Department teams for newborns brought into the Emergency Department with a life-threatening condition. The program is named after Caleb Peltier, whose life was saved by Tri-City’s Emergency and Neonatal specialists in 2010 when he was just three days old.

  • 2016
       

    2016 - August 2016

    Tri-City Medical Center became the first hospital in North County to utilize a new 3D robotic surgical system for minimally invasive procedures and expanded its robotic surgery offering with the Mazor X Robotic Guided Surgery System, which eventually led to it being named one of the 100 Best Hospitals for Spine Surgery by Healthgrades.

  • 2017
       

    2017 - January 2017

    Tri-City Medical Center accepts its first patients at the newly opened Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine, making it one of the few in the county to use hyperbaric oxygen therapy to treat patients with non-healing wounds. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) delivers high concentrations of oxygen in a pressurized chamber to accelerate the healing of wounds and infections. The most common wounds that benefit from this type of therapy include chronic, non-healing wounds, diabetic foot wounds, compromised skin graphs and flaps, and pressure ulcers.

  • 2017
       

    2017 - October 2017

    Tri-City Medical Center partners with non-profits for the inaugural North County Healthy for Good Heart and Stroke Walk. More than 3,300 people and 20 businesses and local organizations participated. Over $200,000 was raised for heart-related research.

  • 2018
       

    2018 - June 2018

    California Senator Patricia Bates honors Tri-City Hospital Foundation as the 2018 Nonprofit of the Year for the 36th Senate District. President of the Tri-City Hospital Foundation, Glen Newhart, and Chairman of the Tri-City Healthcare District, Dr. Jim Dagostino, receive the legislative recognition at the California Nonprofits Day luncheon in Sacramento.

  • 2019
       

    2019 - December 2019

    Tri-City Hospital Foundation celebrates its 55th anniversary and raises more than $500,000 at the 39th Annual Diamond Ball to bring state-of-the-art MRI screening technology to the Imaging Department at Tri-City Medical Center.

  • 2020
       

    2020 - January 2020

    Tri-City Medical Center and the County of San Diego partner to build a $17.4 million psychiatric health facility on the hospital’s campus.

  • 2020's
       

    2020's - 2020-21

    As part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tri-City team cared for more than 850 COVID-positive patients at the hospital and administered over 30,000 vaccine doses to at-risk community members.

  • 2021
       

    2021 - July 2021

    Tri-City Medical Center announced a growing partnership with Kaiser Permanente San Diego to expanded service for even more North County families seeking health care. Through the partnership, Kaiser Permanente members living in North County can utilize Tri-City Medical Center for a wide range of services, including emergency department access, inpatient hospital care, surgical services, and specialty procedures. The partnership expands access to integrated health care services so that over 185,000 people in North County can get the care they need closer to home.

  • 2021
       

    2021 - July 2021

    The San Diego Business Journal honored Tri-City Medical Center’s Steve Dietlin with its prestigious CEO of the Year award, a recognition of Dietlin’s leadership in stewarding the community medical center through an unprecedented health crisis. In his acceptance remarks, Dietlin said, “As a leader, I recognize any individual success is truly due to the collective efforts of a dedicated team of thousands of people working collaboratively to deliver on our mission to advance the health and wellness of our community. Success is defined by our ability to positively impact the communities we serve.”

  • 2021
       

    2021 - August 2021

    Hospital emergency departments play a significant role in the United States health care system. The Conrad Prebys Foundation and David C. Copley Foundation generously contributed $1 million and $1.6 million, respectively, toward a redesign of Tri-City Medical Center’s Emergency Department. Thanks to the generosity of these compassionate partners, the facility will be modernized to enhance patient experience and continue to support the emergency department’s world-class staff in providing premium care close to home for community members.

  • 2021
       

    2021 - October 2021

    Tri-City Medical Center is interwoven into the communities it serves. In October 2021, the hospital’s interior was updated to better reflect that connection, complete with towers renamed for the cities the hospital serves, new local art from renowned photographer Aaron Chang and new color-aligned signage to help with navigation around the hospital. Complementing its patient experience, the Oceanside Pavilion is adorned in tranquil blue to represent the deep waters of the Harbor. The Carlsbad Pavilion is represented by healing aqua to reflect the shallow waters of its local lagoons, and the Vista Pavilion is splashed in vitality orange to represent the city known as “America’s Climatic Wonderland.”

  • 2021
       

    2021 - 60th anniversary magazine

    Celebrating 60 Years Serving Our Community.

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