Banner medical centers

prise Police Department.

When the winter visitors leave, the city’s seasonal population can decrease by 30 percent, so certain communities within Surprise become targets of criminal activity, such as burglary and theft, he said. .

Conversely, he added, during snowbird season, the population increases, meaning more vehicles on the streets.

“Getting accustomed to the heavier volume of traffic is sometimes difficult for some people to get acclimated to,” Donovan said. “This heavier traffic volume contributes to an increase in traffic collisions and other traffic-related incidents.”

Retirement communities in the West Valley offer a variety of programs for their residents throughout the year, and officials with those communities say the schedule generally slows down during the summer, when some communities lose up to 50 percent of their population.

Gary Sorrels, a sales manager with PebbleCreek, a 2,300-acre retirement community in Goodyear, said more than 60 percent of the 7,000 residents are year-round, but returning snowbirds have a noticeable effect.

“Upon their return, PebbleCreek quickly begins buzzing with an increase in restaurant, golf course and clubhouse activity, and also an increase in meeting-room rentals, weekend concerts, DJ/dances” and other activities, Sorrels said. Banner Health relies heavily on volunteers, a large portion of whom are active adults. The organization had 5,730 volunteers last year in Arizona, equaling about $17 million in free labor or service. About one-third of those come from Boswell and Del E. Webb, which are staffed by many active adults. Here’s a look at how many snowbirds make up the volunteer staffs at Banner hospitals in the West Valley:

Boswell, Sun City

Volunteers: 770. Snowbirds: 100.

Del E. Webb, Sun City West

Volunteers: 1,233. Snowbirds: 247.

Thunderbird, Glendale

Volunteers: 400. Snowbirds: 3.

Estrella, Phoenix

Volunteers: 280. Snowbirds: Up to 98.