In one more move to cover a larger geographic spectrum of growing Tucson, Northwest Healthcare has announced plans to build a 70-bed hospital on the population-rich east side of the city.
The project is slated to go up near the intersection of the Old Spanish Trail and Houghton Road, some 12 miles to the east from downtown Tucson.
In a statement, Kevin Stockton, the regional president for Northwest Healthcare, said the hospital first moved beyond its northwest Tucson core eight years ago with the building of an urgent care facility in the Green Valley.
“Since then,” Stockton continued, “our commitment to deliver quality care at convenient access points throughout Pima County have not wavered.”
Work on the new hospital could begin later this year, with an anticipated completion date of late 2020 or early 2021.
Northwest currently has hospitals up and running in Marana, Vail, and the Oro Valley, among other locations.
Last spring, it announced plans to build a new combined 18-bed hospital and medical offices in Sahuarita.
The new east side hospital, which will house an emergency room, cardiac catheterization lab, and surgical services, still needs to win the approval of the Tucson City Council.
Northwest Healthcare officials say they are also on the verge of purchasing land for the new project.
The new two-story, 70,000 square-foot Sahuarita hospital near the intersection of Sahuarita Road and Interstate 19 was announced at the same time that Northwest embarked on renovations to its Oro Valley and Tucson hospitals.
In the last 5 years, Northwest has invested nearly $70 million in new construction and facility upgrade projects throughout metro Tucson.
By Garry Boulard
