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Whether it’s primary health care or specialty health — San Diego County residents never have to travel far for world-class service. San Diego County is home to thousands of providers, dozens of hospitals and research institutes, and leading life science companies shaping the larger healthcare industry. In fact, a report by the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation named the county as a leader in precision health with the region being an “internationally-recognized hub for scientific research and development in biotechnology, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and foundational research.”

When it comes to North County, the City of Escondido is also leading the way. The City of Escondido’s economic dashboard shows the city is home to nearly 12,600 employees who work across 1,600 different healthcare and social service offices — ranging from family health to children's services to specialty care clinics to donor services, and more.

The array of healthcare offices in Escondido make it easy for hospitals, such as Palomar Health and Kaiser Permanente, to call the city home.

“Escondido is known as a healthcare hub in the region because of its diverse offerings in the industry,” said the City of Econdido’s Economic Development Deputy Director Jennifer Schoeneck. “General providers, specialty providers, hospitals and clinics can easily collaborate when they are just a few minutes away from each other. In addition, patients know they can receive all the services they need close to home.”

It isn’t just about getting the right service either — it’s about getting the best service. Escondido’s Palomar Health has been named one of the best hospitals in the world by Newsweek and Statista, which examined medical institutions across 28 countries, for four years in a row.

“To achieve the extraordinary in healthcare, we constantly seek better ways to improve every part of the patient's experience and to always provide extraordinary care and excellent quality of care,” says Diane Hansen, President and CEO of Palomar Health. “This starts by reimagining the entire process, which is exactly what Palomar Health is doing and will continue to do for many years to come.”

Palomar Health was named as one of the best hospitals in the world because of its dedication to its patients and the mission to continually innovate to ensure patients always receive the most up-to-date healthcare. The institution also aims to make healthcare and wellness fun and a part of one’s everyday life.

With the hospital’s goal of ensuring it has the most state-of-the-art technology, Palomar Health recently expanded its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The Unit includes a multidisciplinary team including: neonatologists, specially trained neonatal nurses, specialized respiratory care providers, occupational and physical therapists, lactation consultants and counseling services, among other offerings. The NICU is a joint venture between Rady’s Children Hospital and Palomar Health. Partnering in 2010, Rady’s Children Hospital and the Palomar Medical Center joined forces to help children in North County stay local while receiving treatment. Rady’s Children Hospital provides numerous pediatric services, such as allergy and immunology, rheumatology, and orthopedics, as well as neonatal intensive care beds within its renowned NICU. 

“Whether you’re the newest resident to be born in the city or you’ve lived here for decades, Escondido has services that address all stages of life,” Schoeneck said. “It’s why many healthcare workers come to Escondido, why people move to Escondido and why our healthcare industry continues to expand and evolve in Escondido.”

For more information about the City of Escondido’s healthcare industry, go to escondido.org.