History

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.nRecognizing 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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

Edgar and Jo Ann Jones u201cSpecial Touchu201d Program and Mammography Center established.

Magnetic resonance imaging center.

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 Womanu2019s Center and led a new stroke screening community outreach program.

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.

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

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

The expansion of the Emergency Departmentu2019s imaging and diagnostic capabilities occurred in the 2000s by adding a then industry-leading 64-Slice CT scanner.

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.

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 hospitalu2019s 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The San Diego Business Journal honored Tri-City Medical Centeru2019s Steve Dietlin with its prestigious CEO of the Year award, a recognition of Dietlinu2019s leadership in stewarding the community medical center through an unprecedented health crisis. In his acceptance remarks, Dietlin said, u201cAs 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.u201d

Tri-City Medical Center is interwoven into the communities it serves. In October 2021, the hospitalu2019s 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 u201cAmericau2019s Climatic Wonderland.u201d