The
doctor will see you ... soon
Scottsdale’s Thompson Peak hospital
is scheduled to open in late 2007
by
Kathleen Stinson
DESERT
FOOTHILLS – Scottsdale Healthcare officials said they expect
to have their new $98 million Thompson Peak hospital, currently
under construction, finished in late 2007.
When
completed, it will be the first area hospital built north
of Loop 101 and will significantly reduce the distance Foothills
residents have to travel for medical care.
The
230,000‑square‑foot facility will be located on
26 acres at 7400 E. Thompson Peak Parkway in Scottsdale, at
Scottsdale Road and Thompson Peak Parkway, said Keith Jones,
hospital spokesman.
“It’s
a great thing–so many of our citizens in Carefree are not
only users but supporters of Scottsdale Healthcare and (are)
responsible for its location closer to our borders,” said
Carefree Mayor Ed Morgan.
Area
patients currently have to travel about 15 miles in order
to get to Scottsdale Healthcare’s two other hospitals, one
of which is located along Shea Boulevard and the other is
located along Osborn Road, Morgan said.
Carefree
resident Nancy LaPierre said, “It’s going to be an invaluable
amenity for our community.”
A
number of Carefree residents made financial contributions
to help get the hospital built, said LaPierre, who serves
on the hospital’s foundation board.
The
new hospital’s emergency room will have 12 beds and medical
board certified ER doctors, LaPierre said.
Initially,
the facility will open with 64 beds, but will eventually have
184 beds.
Jones
said initial planning for the new hospital began in the 1990s.
The hospital negotiated with the Grayhawk community to purchase
the site after developers set aside acreage for the hospital.
“Our
hospital was fortunate to be able to forecast the population
growth, so the property is now available to build the hospital,”
Jones said.
Prior
to the hospital’s design, Scottsdale Healthcare staff met
with residents of the Northeast Valley, conducted market surveys,
and interviewed focus groups to see what the community wanted
and needed in a new hospital, Jones said.
The
new hospital is one‑third the size of Scottsdale Healthcare
Shea and its design is intended to complement the Northeast
Valley area, he said.
The
three‑story facility was designed by Nashville‑based
Earl Swensson Associates. The contractor is Kitchell Corp.,
based out of Las Vegas, Nev.
The
Thompson Peak campus currently has two occupied medical office
buildings.
Additional
medical office buildings will be built next to the hospital
in the future, Jones said.
For
those interested in taking a virtual tour of the hospital,
visit the Web site at www.she.org/ thompsonpeak.
