Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center

Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center began in San Diego's South Bay as an old 2-story house on F Street converted into a 14-bed nursing home during World War II. It later expanded, became licensed for acute care and was called Chula Vista Hospital.

Over the years, the hospital has grown to meet the needs of the growing South Bay community, adding a cardiac program and a convalescent center, among other programs and services. In 1989, the board of directors affiliated the hospital with Sharp HealthCare and it became known as Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center.

In 2012, the emergency department (ED), which sees more than 60,000 patient visits a year, was expanded and renovated. The ED has 48 patient care beds and Rapid Medical Evaluation (RME) for minor injuries and illnesses.

Also in 2012, the Douglas & Nancy Barnhart Cancer Center opened on the site. This cancer center is the first in San Diego to offer the TrueBeam STx™ radiotherapy/radiosurgery system, as well as radiation therapy suites with floor-to-ceiling windows. The cancer treatment program is certified by the American College of Surgeons and National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC).

In 2014, Sharp Chula Vista became a Planetree Designated Patient-Centered Hospital. With this designation, it became the first co-located hospital and skilled nursing facility in the nation to receive this distinction, which recognizes achievement and innovation in patient- and resident-centered care.

In 2015, Sharp Chula Vista announced plans for a new, seven-story tower, to be known as the Ocean View Tower, to open in 2020. This will be the first new hospital in San Diego's South Bay for more than 40 years. It will include 138 private patient rooms, 6 operating rooms, 10 ICU suites and a rooftop cafe.

Sharp Chula Vista is a 449-bed hospital with the largest array of health care services in San Diego's South Bay. The hospital employs more than 450 affiliated physicians and nearly 2,000 employees. More than 90,000 patients receive care there each year.

• The Douglas & Nancy Barnhart Cancer Center is the first in San Diego to offer the TrueBeam STx radiotherapy/radiosurgery system for cancer treatment.
• The first hospital in San Diego County to perform transoral robotic surgery (TORS) for oral tumors.
• The first local hospital to have an EMI total body scanner.
• The first local hospital to offer the da Vinci Si Robotic Surgical System.
• The first hospital to pilot a medication reconciliation program to employ bilingual pharmacy technicians during admission to the hospital to reduce medication errors.
• The first hospital in San Diego County to install the GE Innova 3100 cardiac catheterization lab, which allows doctors to treat blockages beyond the heart and reduce radiation exposure to patients and staff.
• The first hospital to implement infusion-pump wireless technology to increase medication safety with better data and recording of medication infusions.
• The first in the region to use a nuclear medicine camera to scan bones, lungs, organs and the brain.
• The first local hospital to offer intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), allowing radiation to be administered with a high dosage to the tumor and a lower dose to surrounding healthy tissue.
• The first hospital in San Diego to offer WATCHMAN - an alternative to long-term warfarin (anticoagulant) medication for reducing the risk of stroke in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AFib).
• The first local hospital to offer transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), a surgical technique for treating aortic stenosis and a minimally invasive alternative to open-heart surgery.
• The first local hospital to offer EP ablation, a minimally invasive option for treating atrial fibrillation (AFib).

• 2016: voted Best Hospital by readers of The Star-News and received designation as a Blue Distinction Center for Cardiac Care programs.
• 2015: the Douglas and Nancy Barnhart Cancer Center received a Ribbons and Shovels award from the City of Chula Vista, recognizing its outstanding design and appearance.
  • Honored by the American Heart Association's Get With The Guidelines Program Stroke Gold Plus Award and for being recognized on Target: Stroke Honor Roll - Elite.
• 2014: received the American Heart Association's Get With The Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus and Target: Stroke Honor Roll Quality Achievement awards.
• 2012: the Emergency Department was the recipient of design awards from the Associated General Contractors of America (AGA) and Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA).
  • Honored by the American Heart Association's Get With the Guidelines Program with the Silver Performance Achievement Award.
• 2011: became accredited as a Breast Center by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers.

Sharp Chula Vista holds Community Hospital Cancer Program certification from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer.

• Official website
• This hospital in the CA Healthcare Atlas A project by OSHPD