This announcement was met with heavy pushback from lawmakers, rival medical providers, and patient advocates who argued that the move would leave South Bay communities underserved and other local hospitals overwhelmed.

[8][9] Over the next few years, construction costs continued to grow as health system officials decided to add a specialized surgical suite, operating rooms, an anatomic pathology lab, a cardiac rehabilitation program, a discharge pharmacy, and nursing administrative space.

The construction of Jacobs Medical Center was originally intended as a simple expansion of the hospital, but evolved into the ten-story quaternary care facility that exists today.

It occupies the second and third floors of the medical center and is named for Carol Vassiliadis' $8.5 million gift on behalf of her deceased husband Alkiviadis.

[13] The technologies at work include the region's only four intraoperative MRI machines, which allow real-time imaging of tumors and gene therapies during surgery to ensure complete treatment, as well as the nation's only Restriction Spectrum Imaging technology, which color code brain fibers to better plan for complex surgeries in advance.

[13] The pavilion occupies the fourth, fifth, and sixth floors of Jacobs Medical Center and is named for a $7.5 million gift from Pauline Foster.

The hospital has views of UC San Diego, the Torrey Pines Mesa, La Jolla and the Pacific Ocean.