Access to health care in the Lompoc Valley and surrounding area is expanding.
Work is underway to transform the former CoastHills Credit Union building at the corner of Burton Mesa Boulevard and Constellation Road in Vandenberg Village into a nearly 17,000-square-foot medical facility.
While the building along Constellation Boulevard will remain CoastHills, the rest of the facility will be turned into Lompoc Valley Medical Center (LVMC) facilities in two phases.
The first phase, expected to open in October, will include 12 exam rooms, a treatment room, nurse stations, point-of-care testing, six provider officers, a blood draw/law, diagnostic imaging and a waiting area.
Following completion of that phase, estimated at a cost of $4.2 million, Work on the $3.8 million second phase will get underway.
Expected to be complete in early 2027, that phase will include 18 exam/treatment rooms, eight provider offices, an audiology lab, occupational medicine, urogynecology special equipment, ENT and more.
Lompoc Valley Medical Center CEO Yvette Cope calls the project “an exciting, historic moment.”
“It is so important to expand health care services, especially primary care services for our community,” Cope said. “Currently at our Lompoc Health facilities with primary care, we are at patient capacity for the number of providers we have and we're also out of space, so there is a need for this community.”
Cope says when patients don’t see their primary care physician or don’t have access to one, “It makes outcomes worse for patients and more costly for them in the end, so we want to do everything we can to provide as much primary care and specialty care services as we can for our community.”
She adds that they are excited to provide more primary care services to the community along with a walk-in urgent care.
Dr. Randall Michel has been involved in the Village Center project from the start, which he calls the next step in the evolution of LVMC. He says LVMC started with about six physicians and has grown to 43 physicians and 15 nurse practitioners and physician assistants.
Four physicians are already confirmed for the new space, which hospital officials say "will enhance access to primary care services for an estimated 4,000 new patients."
Cope highlighted the Lompoc Hospital District Foundation's vital role in the project, providing needed funding and resources to get Phase 1 going.
“Without their momentum to get this project started, I don’t know if we would be here at this time,” she said.
Speakers noted the ever-changing landscape of the health care industry.
Lompoc Valley Medical Center Board Member Mark Cordes called “Demolition Day” on Monday a “milestone moment.” Armed with hard hats and safety vests, hospital officials, board members and others took sledgehammers to a wall at the building to mark the beginning of the transformation that will take place there over the coming months.
"What excites me about opening up this clinic is really for our community," Cope said. "We serve our community. We are the only public hospital district in Santa Barbara County and we serve the people.”
The project's total cost is estimated at around $8 million.
