In a move to increase access to high quality pediatric medical care in the rapidly-expanding West Valley, Phoenix Children’s Hospital announced Wednesday that it is building a new $135-million, freestanding hospital in Glendale.
The news comes on the heels of two other new Phoenix Children’s projects on the Westside — a freestanding pediatric emergency department and a youth sports clinic.
In all, the three projects represent $200 million in investment and 650 new jobs for the region, said Bob Meyer, the president and CEO of Phoenix Children’s.
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But most importantly, it will bring pediatric care “closer to home” for West Valley children, said Meyer, who was joined by the mayors of Glendale and Avondale and other community leaders.
“The West Valley is booming. The population is projected to grow at twice the national rate over the next five years,” he said. “Kids represent a big part of this growth. It is estimated that the number of children will grow 25 percent, from 400,00 children today to 500,000 by 2030.
“These children deserve to have world class pediatric medical care right in their own backyard.”
Three projects will be able to handle 133,000 annual visits
Together, the three projects represent one of the largest expansions in the history of the organization, Meyer said, providing the capacity for up to 133,00 visits annually.
Here’s what’s planned:
• Phoenix Children’s Hospital – Arrowhead Campus, Glendale Expected to open in 2024, the new hospital will offer inpatient care, an emergency department, an outpatient surgery center and a multi-specialty clinic. Construction will place it next to the Abrazo Arrowhead hospital at 18701 N. 67th Ave. in Glendale.
The 180,000 square-foot hospital will open with 24 inpatient beds with room for up to 48. It will need about 473 employees and will handle up to 76,000 visits a year. Also on the campus, will be a clinic, offering more than 25 specialty services, including cardiology, dermatology, general surgery, nephrology, neurology, orthopedics, plastic surgery, ophthalmology, and psychiatry.
• Southwest Campus for emergency care, Avondale A new Southwest Campus in Avondale is scheduled for opening in the spring of 2023. It will house a freestanding emergency department and multi-specialty clinic on the current site of Phoenix Children’s Southwest Valley Specialty and Urgent Care Center at 1665 N. Avondale Blvd.
The emergency department will have the capacity to serve 40,000 visits annually, filling a void in the West Valley for pediatric-specific critical care, hospital officials said.
“Kids with serious or life-threatening illnesses or injuries fare much better at a pediatric emergency department than an adult ER,” said Jared Muenzer, physician-in-chief at Phoenix Children’s. “This site will be staffed with board certified pediatric emergency medicine specialists who have the training and expertise to care for the most critical patients.”
Phoenix Children’s will invest $39.9 million to build and equip a new 71,250-square-foot, three-story building and retrofit the existing 35,000-square-foot building for emergency services. The emergency department will offer access to physicians in more than 75 pediatric subspecialties; 40 rooms that include triage, treatment and resuscitation; six “quick turnover” beds; ultrasound, CT scans, fluoroscopy and digital radiography. Nearly 164 employees are expected to work out of the Southwest Campus, with half being new positions.
• Youth Sports Medicine Clinic, Avondale The clinic is expected to open this year in Avondale in “The BLVD,” near the American Sports Center, Arizona’s largest indoor sports complex with over 500,000 visitors annually. The clinic will operate a physical therapy, rehabilitation and education center providing sports medicine and orthopedic rehabilitation specifically for the youth and high school community in the West Valley.
The 7,880-square-foot facility is located at 765 N. 114th Avenue is expected to cost about $2.1 million, have the capacity to handle 17,000 visits a year, and employ about 16 people.
About Phoenix Children’s
Phoenix Children’s is one of the nation’s largest pediatric health systems. Its inpatient, outpatient, emergency, trauma and urgent care services have been recognized as a “Best Children’s Hospital” by U.S. News & World Report. The Leapfrog Group, a coalition of employers who use their collective purchasing power to structure their insurance contracts to reward the highest performing hospitals, also has named Phoenix Children’s as one of only 13 to be designated a “Top Children’s Hospital.” .
The healthcare system comprises Phoenix Children’s Hospital–Main Campus; Phoenix Children’s Hospital–East Valley at Dignity Health Mercy Gilbert Medical Center; four pediatric specialty and urgent care centers; 11 community pediatric practices; 20 outpatient clinics; two ambulatory surgery centers; and six community-service-related outpatient clinics across Arizona.
To learn more, visit: phoenixchildrens.org.
This story was originally published at Chamber Business News.
