Phoenix Children’s Hospital breaks ground on $40M addition

PHOENIX — Phoenix Children’s Hospital broke ground Tuesday on its three-story, $40 million addition that will include a new emergency department and trauma center.

PCH President Bob Meyer said demand has far outgrown the hospital’s capabilities. It receives about 2,500 trauma and 90,000 emergency room visits each year.

“It’s a long time coming,” he said. “A lot of people put a lot of effort, time into it. We didn’t expect this to happen this quickly… and it wouldn’t without the community support and the philanthropy.”

The new building will be able to handle about 100,000 patients a year.

“It’s replacing a facility that was built many, many years ago (designed) for about 35,000 visits a year, and no trauma,” Meyer said. “It’s a very crucial project to get done to meet community needs.”

In addition to the new emergency department and trauma center, the number of private exam rooms will triple.

“We’re putting a three-story addition with a basement to the west of the hospital,” Meyer said. “We’ll also be moving our laboratories out of the older buildings into here, and a significant expansion of our clinics, and the main tower, which will include the brand new hematology-oncology clinics and a variety of other things.”

The hospital has raised $30 million toward construction.

The addition is scheduled to open in late 2017.

Related

The Latest: Trump pivots back to sanctions for Iran as other strategies to end his war fizzleDemocratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs chooses former Republican Mayor John Giles as her running mateBetter pay would be a start for fixing Arizona’s teacher shortage, but it’s not the only solutionIranian-backed Houthi rebels renew attacks on key port city, and other developments in the MideastOil prices settle, Wall Street inches higher ahead of new inflation numbers due this weekThunderstorms outside Valley bring dust, winds to Phoenix metro area