Because of the aging and growing population in the Santa Clarita Valley, the increased need for hospital beds continues to rise.

With that in mind, and in keeping with their vision to create an ideal healthcare environment, Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital has added four more beds to its Med Surg 4 unit.

"The community's pressing need for more hospital beds has been a strategic priority at our hospital for several years," says Roger Seaver, president and CEO of Henry Mayo. "With the addition of these beds, we can anticipate reduced wait times for patients."

The reduced wait time for a bed not only increases patient satisfaction, but also increases emergency room capacity as treatment rooms become available quicker.

Six months of construction work came to fruition on June 17 with the Department of Health's licensure of the four med surg beds. The Med Surg 4 unit accommodates patients needing post-op care following orthopedic, trauma, spinal and general surgeries.

Hospital construction projects recently completed include the connecting corridor, enhanced imaging services and a new central power plant to enable continued growth and development and provide sufficient emergency power back-up.

Henry Mayo's current expansion projects include the conversion of 27 hospital beds to acute care by this summer, renovation of the original ER space - now double its previous size - a new intensive care unit (ICU), and a dedicated cardiac catheterization lab.

Upon completion of the new ICU, construction will begin on Henry Mayo's first neonatal intensive care unit.

Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital is a 221-bed, not-for-profit acute care hospital serving the Santa Clarita Valley since 1975.

Services include trauma, emergency, intensive care, maternity, surgery, nursing, wound care, behavioral health and acute rehab, as well as cancer, cardiology, imaging, lab, digestive, respiratory services and physical and occupational therapies.