LVMC Kicks Off Renovation of Lompoc Health -- Village Center to Expand Community Access to Care

Hoisting small sledgehammers and wearing hardhats, leadership and board members of Lompoc Valley Medical Center officially kicked off the “historic” construction and renovation of the new Lompoc Health – Village Center site on Monday.

The 15,000-square-foot facility located at Constellation Road and Burton Mesa Boulevard will serve thousands of patients in not only Vandenberg Village, but the entire Lompoc Valley and Vandenberg Space Force Base.

The site, located adjacent to an existing CoastHills Credit Union branch, will be renovated in two phases, with an estimated total cost of $8 million. The Lompoc Hospital District Foundation is actively fundraising for the effort.

“The Village Center is not just a building renovation,” said LVMC Chief Executive Officer Yvette Cope. “It is an investment in access for everyone in our community. Access to care remains one of the most urgent healthcare concerns in our region. When patients can’t get timely primary care, everything downstream becomes more complex and more costly.”

The facility allows the hospital district to respond proactively, she said,

“This clinic will expand access to primary care and support other urgent community needs,” Cope noted. “It strengthens our outpatient footprint and allows patients to receive care in the right setting -- improving both outcomes and LVMC’s sustainability.”

Current plans for Phase 1 – which began with interior demolition work on Monday by Rarig Construction Inc. -- includes 12 exam rooms, a treatment room, provider offices, a blood draw station, limited diagnostic imaging and more. Phase 1 is expected to be completed by the end of October.

Phase 2, set to begin next year, will include 18 more exam/treatment rooms, provide offices, additional Primary and Pediatric care, as well as potentially an audiology lab, occupational medicine service and additional specialty providers.

Lompoc Health – Village Center adds to Lompoc Valley Medical Center’s integrated system of care in the community, including the acute hospital, the Comprehensive Care Center, Lompoc Health – North H Center, Lompoc Health – North Third Center, Lompoc Health – Sleep Disorder Center and Lompoc Health – Hematology-Oncology.

“The Village Center represents accountability,” Cope said Monday. “It represents thoughtful growth. And it represents our commitment to keeping healthcare local -- now and for generations to come.”

Cope expressed gratitude to the Lompoc Hospital District Foundation, whose president and co-founder, Alice Milligan, was in attendance, as were other Foundation board members. The Foundation contributed $1 million late last year toward the renovation and is fundraising for more contributions.

LVMC Chief Medical Officer Dr. Randall Michel said the Village Center project has been three years in the planning, as part of the district’s overall commitment to expand primary and specialty care in the community.

“Those of us who have worked at the old hospital or visited the old hospital back in the 70s would be truly amazed what’s taken place over the decades and the past 15 years. Just to be able to expand the access to patients in the whole district has been really impressive … This is only going to be a one step in the evolution of Lompoc Valley Medical Center.”

LVMC Board Member Mark Cordes noted that he and his fellow directors are entrusted with the district’s long term infrastructure planning to ensure the community has reliable, local access to care. The clinic, he added, has been developed with “transparent planning, strict change management guidelines and disciplined fiscal oversight.”

“This project positions Lompoc Valley Medical Center for sustainable growth,” Cordes said. “It positions the district to adapt to the ever-changing landscape of healthcare. From our humble beginnings in the 1940s and now to the Village Center today, our story has been one of community partnership, resilient hospital leadership and forward planning. So, as these walls come down today, let us remember what is being built in their place: expanded access, strengthened services and another milestone for Lompoc and the surrounding communities.”

Also announced during the event was the addition of four new Lompoc Health physicians, a significant expansion that will enhance access to primary care services for an estimated 4,000 new patients.

For more information on the Village Center and fundraising efforts, see www.lhdfoundation.org/village center.