blackvoicenews.com

By BVN Staff –

“This project is phenomenal,” said Director Joel Ayala of the newly created Governor’s Office of Economic Development (Go-ED) in describing the upcoming March LifeCare campus. “It is a great opportunity for the entire region!”

Ayala met with Riverside County leaders, and the March LifeCare team, to discuss the project—a 6 million square foot, three-phase development that includes a hospital, ambulatory care facilities, medical office buildings, skilled nursing centers, assisted living residences, hotel, and retail village.

The project is being built by the March Healthcare Development (MHD), a committed group of California investors that have decided to lead the effort to reinvest in California. Over six year ago, MHD Founder Don Ecker began the effort, which has led to ‘California’s First Health & Wellness City’ being built on surplus land that was part of March AFB.

Director Ayala, formerly President of California’s Hispanic Chamber, was recently appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as director of Go- ED. Go-ED is billed as a one-stop shop to assist business development in the state.

After receiving a tour of the site, Ayala opened the meeting, and summarized his reason for being there, with three words: “Jobs-Jobs- Jobs!”

The March LifeCare project, slated to be the single largest job creator in the region this decade, represents a major coup for Riverside County, an area ravaged by high unemployment. March LifeCare fits within the March Joint Powers Authority’s (JPA) redevelopment efforts and goal of “Bringing Good Jobs to Riverside County.”

Construction is in its early phase and already McCarthy Building Companies is being deluged with applications for the over 5,000 construction jobs the project will bring in Phase 1. Overall, the project is expected to create 12,700 construction jobs, and 7,200 fulltime healthcare and related jobs.

Over 400 positions have recently been staffed for project start-up.

Opening of the initial buildings is set for November 11, 2011 (Veteran’s Day).

In describing the project, Ayala stated he has “never seen anything of this magnitude supported by the community at large.” Chair of the Riverside County Supervisors, Marion Ashley, offered his perspective of why the campus is critical to the economic development of the area, saying, “The March LifeCare campus is our crown jewel and will be the economic center of this area.” After describing the devastation caused by the March AFB realignment, and the short-lived recovery which has been stalled by the current economic crisis, Ashley went on to say, “no one has accomplished what this project will bring to western Riverside County.”

Access to quality healthcare close to home was also a main topic of discussion in the meeting, with Ashley describing what he called the “leakage” of people leaving the area for medical services.

Ron Redfern, Publisher of the Riverside Press-Enterprise, stated, “up to 30% of area residents go out of the region for healthcare.”

Redfern, who serves as Transportation Chair of Riverside’s Monday Morning Group, said the new Metro Link line extension will come through the area and add a stop at March. “This will bring in people from Corona and Orange County,” he added. In describing Go-ED’s goal of supporting ‘Innovation, Inspiration, and Opportunity, ’ Redfern said, “How much more aligned could we be than with a project like this?”

During the meeting, Project Leader Don Ecker spoke passionately of his desire to see a Veteran’s health care facility on the campus.

He spoke of personal experience with family members who described the need for quality Veteran healthcare services close to home.

Karen Kokiko, VP of Marketing for the Press Enterprise and a member of MHD’s advisory board stated, “Of the top 10 counties in the nation for Veteran population, only Riverside County does not have adequate veteran’s medical services.” She added that Riverside County ranks within the top ten nationally when it comes to the number of Veterans who reside in the area.

Disabled Veteran Virgal Woolfolk, spoke of the concerns of many local Veterans who are forced to travel to the Loma Linda VA for services. “It’s an access issue,” he stated. “We need Veteran’s healthcare in Riverside and the March location is ideal. We could become the ‘light on the hill’ to show that Veterans in this county are cared for and receive top-notch care!”

County Supervisor Chair Ashley added, “We are tired of being the step-child to Loma Linda when it comes to Veteran’s healthcare.” Ayala concluded the meeting by offering the full support of the Governor’s office in moving the March LifeCare project forward, saying to the gathered attendees, “On behalf of the Governor of the State of California, you have our full support!”

“Here we come!” stated Director Ayala in summarizing the March LifeCare campus. March JPA Chair, Richard Stewart, reiterated his oftused statement in describing the project, “The tsunami is coming!”