Murrieta residents will gain a round-the-clock urgent care facility and 15 new hospital beds as Loma Linda University Health ramps up investment across the Inland Empire.
The health system plans to open a 24/7 advanced urgent care at 35100 Makena Ave. in Murrieta in spring 2027, south of Loma Linda University Medical Center-Murrieta (LLUMC-Murrieta), according to a Loma Linda University Health news release. The facility will be staffed by emergency-trained physicians and clinical staff, though it is not licensed as an emergency room.
Jonathan Jean-Marie, senior vice president for LLUMC-Murrieta, said in the release that the urgent care will expand access for patients who need more than a traditional urgent care setting while preserving emergency department capacity for the most critical cases. He called Murrieta "a growing community" and said the system is committed to growing alongside it.
Separately, construction is underway on a 15-bed expansion at LLUMC-Murrieta. Workers are reconfiguring space on the third, fourth and fifth floors to add inpatient beds, a physical therapy space and upgraded staff areas, according to a May news release. That project carries an estimated 14-month timeline.
Both Murrieta projects are funded in part through Loma Linda University Health's Stronger Together Campaign, a $310 million systemwide effort.
The expansion push extends well beyond Murrieta. The system completed a $125 million children's specialty clinic in the city of Loma Linda and held a ribbon-cutting Oct. 6, the Press Enterprise reported. The Children's Health Specialty Clinics, a five-story, 105,000-square-foot building at Barton Road and Anderson Street, will open in early 2027 across the street from Loma Linda University Children's Hospital.
The facility will house more than 21 pediatric specialties, 149 exam rooms, clinical labs and radiology services under one roof. Specialties range from allergy testing and spina bifida care to neurosurgery and speech pathology. Peter Baker, senior vice president and administrator for Children's Hospital, said in a news release that the building will let clinicians coordinate care for children and families in a single location.
The children's clinic project ranks among the largest investments in outpatient pediatric specialty care in the Inland Empire, according to the release. Funding came from Proposition 4, the Children's Hospital Bond initiative, and the Stronger Together Campaign, which has a $15 million fundraising goal specific to the clinic.
Inside the building, a 10-by-15-foot mosaic mural made from more than 10,000 drawings submitted by children, families and community members features the hospital mascot, Luke the Lion, playing with children among local landmarks.
The Murrieta advanced urgent care is set to open in spring 2027.
