Loma Linda University Medical Center will open a 24/7 advanced urgent care facility at 35100 Makena Ave. in Murrieta by spring 2027, the hospital system announced Friday, Oct. 9.

The walk-in clinic will sit south of the existing Loma Linda University Medical Center–Murrieta campus. Emergency-trained physicians and clinical staff will treat patients around the clock, though the facility will not be licensed as an emergency room.

Jonathan Jean-Marie, senior vice president of LLUMC–Murrieta, said the clinic fills a gap between a standard urgent care and a full emergency department.

"The advanced urgent care expands access to timely, high-quality care for patients who need more than a traditional urgent care setting may provide," Jean-Marie said in the announcement.

He added that the facility will help preserve emergency department capacity for patients who need the highest level of care.

The hospital described Murrieta as one of the fastest-growing regions in the nation, citing rising demand for medical services. The announcement listed services including diagnostic testing such as labs and X-rays, fracture and sprain treatment, laceration repair, cold and flu treatment, UTI and STI treatment, walk-in sports physicals and flu shots. For life-threatening emergencies, the hospital directs patients to call 911.

It will not be an emergency room.

Lorena Esparza Garcia, manager of emergency services for the new facility, said in the announcement that the nearby hospital ER provides a safety net. If a patient arrives at the urgent care and needs a higher level of care, the emergency department is close by.

The project is the second major capacity expansion LLUMC–Murrieta has announced this year. As of May 7, a 15-bed inpatient expansion was underway at the hospital, reconfiguring space on the third, fourth and fifth floors with an estimated 14-month construction timeline. That project is funded through Loma Linda University Health's $310 million Stronger Together campaign.

The urgent care concept is not new. A July 2023 Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce profile described LLUMC–Murrieta as readying a 24-hour urgent care center "across the street" from the main hospital, with an expected opening within a year. The Oct. 9 announcement is the first to name a specific address and a spring 2027 target date.

No groundbreaking date or public hearing has been announced.