SHERMAN OAKS - Calling it a difficult decision, theinternationally renowned Grossman Burn Center is leaving its home of40 years at Sherman Oaks Hospital for West Hills Hospital & MedicalCenter, where it hopes to expand the reach and quality of its care.
West Hills, which is owned by Nashville-based HCA Inc., iscompleting a $60 million expansion and will now host the burncenter's new flagship surgical facility and its nationalheadquarters.
'We realized that by going to West Hills we had a significantlybetter opportunity for development and advancement of burn care witha great deal of support, not only from West Hills but from thecorporate side, Hospital Corporation of America,' said Dr. Peter H.Grossman, the burn center's co-director.
Financial details regarding the move were not released.
Some burn services could be offered by the end of the year andthe center's new location should open by April, Grossman said.
The center had also been in negotiations with Sherman OaksHospital and its owner, Prime Health Care Services Inc., based inVictorville.
Grossman said he was 'not in sync' with Prime Health executives'ideas for the center's future.
'They had their plan ... and we had a loftier idea,' Grossmansaid.
'This has been a very difficult decision. There is some historyhere. People we have worked with for decades. This is the placewhere my father (Dr. A. Richard Grossman) started the burn center.'
John Rossfeld, chief executive officer of Sherman Oaks Hospital,said he's disappointed that the center is leaving.
'We were hopeful we could continue to have the burn center atSherman Oaks Hospital ... and thought we had given a good proposal.We will help them in every way possible to make this transition,'Rossfeld said.
The Grossman Burn Center at West Hills Hospital will be locatedin the space formerly occupied by the hospital's intensive careunit, which is being relocated to a 45,000-square foot, two-storybuilding being built on the West Hills campus.
'It's a really big deal. The Grossman Burn Center is nationallyknown. It's very prestigious,' said Beverly Gilmore, president andchief executive officer of West Hills. 'Their reputation isimpeccable and we are really pleased that they have chosen us.'
Founded in 1969, the center provides comprehensive and innovativetreatment for patients with burns - from acute care andreconstruction to rehabilitation and psychological counseling.
In 1985, the senior Grossman and the late actor and childadvocate McLean Stevenson founded the Children's Burn Foundation.
There are also Grossman Burn Centers in Santa Ana, Bakersfieldand Lafayette, La. They are primarily known for treating emergencypersonnel burned while on duty but also for helping severely burnedchildren.
The center is currently treating Ni Na Phung, a native of DaNang, Vietnam, who in 2007 was doused with gasoline and set on fireby an acquaintance whom she declined to date.
Phung is 19 now and still needs more operations.
The Children's Burn Foundation also treated Youssif, a 6-year-old Iraqi boy who was drenched in gasoline and set ablaze by maskedinsurgents outside his Baghdad home. He needs months of treatment atthe burn center.
The center has also treated some celebrities, like Travis Barker,the former drummer for the rock band Blink 182 and the late discjockey Adam 'DJ AM' Goldstein.
And even though the center is moving from Sherman Oaks Hospital,Rossfeld is glad it's not going too far.
'It's been a service that's been at the hospital for a long time.It has a very rich history. We're very pleased that the ultimatedecision has them remaining in the San Fernando Valley,' he said.
