Abrazo Health’s Paradise Valley Hospital will celebrate its 30th anniversary with a free Autumn Festival from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 25 at the hospital, 3929 E. Bell Road.

Free food, blood pressure checks, bicycle safety, posture checks, shoe assessment for wound care are among the highlights.  A walk-in inflatable heart exhibit will educate visitors on common heart diseases.  Emergency vehicles including Phoenix fire trucks and a Native Air helicopter will be on display. Paradise Valley High School, which is located across the street, will provide a  DJ.  Historical photos and video interviews with hospital staff also will be featured.

Paradise Valley Hospital Food Service Manager Juan Carranza will conduct healthy meals demonstrations at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Paradise Valley Hospital’s cafeteria created Meals to Go, a program offering pre-packaged, healthy take-out meals that are nutritionally aligned with diabetic and/or cardiac dietary needs. Meals can be ordered 24 hours ahead and picked up at Paradise Valley and the five other Abrazo hospitals in the Phoenix area.

During three decades as a registered nurse at Paradise Valley Hospital, Andi Chronister has observed many changes in and around Paradise Valley Hospital.

The hospital has had different names and owners over the years. Medical advances such as robotic surgery and electronic medical records have transformed how patient care is delivered.  Neighborhoods and businesses filled the vacant land that once surrounded the hospital. The nearby 51 Freeway brought more traffic to the area.

But the constant at Paradise Valley Hospital has been the close-knit feeling among staff and patients.

“Patients come into the room and they look familiar to me. After we get talking, I find out that the patient’s parents were cared for here and they remember me. I’ve taken care of physicians’ families here. When I go shopping, people stop me in the store and say I remember you,’’  said
Chronister, a case manager who watched the hospital being built from her backyard and still lives close by.

Jaime Wasden, clinicial services manager for the Emergency Department, said services have improved over the years. In particular, the InQuicker program has enabled patients to wait for their emergency room visit at home and come in for a scheduled time.

One of Wasden’s favorite programs at Paradise Valley Hospital is the partnership with Paradise Valley High School. Students come observe what it’s like to be in the health-care field and nurses go to the high school health classes to show pig hearts. A new junior volunteer program for teens is underway.

“If anyone wants to work here, I want you to know that we are fantastic. We say welcome to the family,’’ she added.

Sandra Sears, who has been a registered nurse at Paradise Valley Hospital, remembers fondly when she set up the surgical instrument trays in the operating rooms on the day the hospital opened on Aug. 28, 1983.

“We have a great medical staff and nursing staff devoted to great patient care. I am very proud to be a part of the team at Paradise Valley  Hospital,’’ she added.

Paradise Valley is a 136-bed acute care, community-based hospital and is an affiliate of Abrazo Health, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tenet Healthcare Corporation.

Some of its special programs include an accredited chest pain center, wound care and hyperbaric (high pressure) medicine, outpatient rehabilitation services, high-tech navigation system for orthopedic procedures, da Vinci robotic surgery and surgical weight loss.

“Our top goal is to ensure that our patients have the best experience possible. We hold customer satisfaction in the highest regard,’’ said David Tupponce, Paradise Valley Hospital CEO.

Paradise Valley Hospital’s Chief of Staff Shawn Blick, a urologist, said he enjoys the camaraderie of a small hospital.

“When a patient gets admitted to the floor, I know their care will be excellent,’’ he said.