| Palomar Medical Center Escondido | |
| Org/Group: | Palomar Health |
| Coordinates: | 33.125°N -117.075°W |
| Region: | Escondido |
| State: | California |
| Country: | US |
| Demolished: | 2022 |
| Type: | Trauma center |
| Affiliation: | Kaiser Permanente |
| Emergency: | II |
| Beds: | 332 |
Palomar Medical Center Escondido is a hospital located in Escondido, California. It is operated by the Palomar Health District (formerly known as Palomar Pomerado Health), which also operates Palomar Medical Center Poway in nearby Poway. Palomar Medical Center Escondido is the only designated trauma center in northern San Diego County.[1]
The first hospital in Downtown Escondido opened in 1950 as Palomar Memorial Hospital. A tower addition, McLeod Tower, was completed in 1974. The hospital was renamed to Palomar Medical Center in 1987.[2] It is now known as Palomar Medical Center Downtown Escondido, which houses psychiatric and rehabilitation wards. In 2012, the 740,000-foot Palomar Medical Center Escondido opened, and featured 288 private single-patient rooms, 44 emergency and trauma rooms and 11 operating rooms. The older hospital started closing in 2015, and permanently closed in late 2020.
In late 2021 to early 2022, the old hospital campus was slowly demolished and will now be replaced by Palomar Heights, a mixed use/senior living/apartment complex. To safely take down the building, heavy asbestos abatement was performed by workers as the building was built in the ‘50s and contained asbestos insulation.