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New hospital building
shows great progress
If you’ve driven by the south side of the
Simi Valley Hospital campus recently,
you’ve seen the substantial progress
that has been made on the hospital’s
Emergency Services and Hospital
Expansion Project. Construction is on
schedule for an opening by the end
of 2014.
By early June, exterior framing was
complete, the building was sheathed,
steel for the ambulance canopy had been
erected and masonry retaining walls were
under construction. Application of stucco
and plaster to the exterior was scheduled
to begin by the end of the month.
Inside the structure, all interior walls had
been framed, and 75 percent of the interior
mechanical, electrical and plumbing work
was complete. Interior drywall work was set
to commence by the end of June.
The $41 million project includes the
new Thakkar Family Emergency Pavilion,
which will add more than 5,000 square feet
to the existing Emergency Department
space and increase the number of patient
care rooms from 10 to 22. In addition to
the expanded emergency facilities, the
building will house a new surgery suite, an
equipment room and space to add more
services in the future.
Child Development Center helps
two-year-old overcome mystery paralysis
Like a lot of two-year-
olds, Lucian Olivera
loves bubbles. But
unlike most kids his
age, when he chases
a string of iridescent
bubbles or kicks a
bright-colored balloon
across the oor at Simi
Valley Hospital’s Child
Development Center,
Lucian is not just
playing—he’s working
on creating a happier
and healthier future
for himself.
When he was only
11 months old, Lucian
began exhibiting some
alarming symptoms
not long after ghting
o an infection and
fever. Instead of
crawling on all fours, he
started pulling himself
forward with just his
arms, dragging his
legs behind him. His
parents, Israel and Erin
Olivera, reached out
to physicians for help,
but even after weeks
of medical tests, no
one could diagnose
his problem.
A doctor referred Lucian and his
parents, who live in Moorpark, to the
Child Development Center in July 2012.
Although he didn’t have a diagnosis yet,
the longer Lucian waited before starting
physical therapy, the harder it would be for
him to regain mobility in his legs.
“When Lucian came in, both of his legs
were pretty much paralyzed,” said Child
Development Center clinical supervisor
and physical therapist Karen Newsome. “At
the time he got sick, he was just starting to
take steps on his own. We had to go back
and start all over again.”
Lucian progressed from crawling on his
own to pulling himself up, then from using
furniture to help him move around to using
a walker. Two years later, he’s working on
walking with two canes. Braces on both
legs help to keep him steady.
Even as he continued making great
progress in his therapy, the cause of
Lucian’s paralysis remained a mystery.
In April, the Oliveras nally got the
diagnosis they had been waiting for.
Researchers at Stanford University who
have been following several cases like
Lucian’s in California gave the condition a
name: California polio-like syndrome.
While the disease appears to be caused
by a virus, there is no evidence that it is
rapidly spreading.
Although the damage to Lucian’s leg is
likely permanent, Julie Wong, manager of
the Child Development Center, said only
time will tell how far he can come toward
regaining strength to stand and walk
independently.
“Hopefully, his brain will nd a way
to pick up the function of walking in a
di erent way,” she said. “He’s young, and
he’s motivated to move around, so it will
be exciting to see what happens with him.
Through everything, he always has an
amazing smile that brings such joy to all
of us.”
Throughout his year and a half of therapy at Simi Valley
Hospital’s Child Development Center, Lucian Olivera’s ever-
present smile has brightened the lives of his parents, Erin and
Israel (left and center) and his physical therapists, including
Kelsey Stewart (helping Lucian stay steady on an exercise
ball) and Karen Newsome.
