New hospital would be a first in this West Valley city
Surprise could soon be getting its first full-service hospital, with Dignity Health proposing a 40-acre development near Greenway Road and Loop 303.
Dignity submitted plans to develop 40 acres in the Prasada area, called the Dignity Health West Valley Campus.
The campus will include a hospital that eventually could have up to 300 beds and is planned to be a level 1 trauma center, which means it will be equipped to provide the highest levels of care for patients after a traumatic injury. The hospital will have dual helipads, ambulance services and will offer diagnostic and imaging services, surgery, outpatient services and other medical office buildings for various services.
Plans submitted to the city show the hospital portion, on the southern piece of the property, could be developed in three phases and total about 500,000 square feet. An additional four medical office buildings are planned north of the hospital and total 240,000 square feet.
The Surprise Planning and Zoning Commission, at its March 16 meeting, voted to recommend the City Council approve a general plan amendment for the development. The City Council will vote on the measure at a future meeting.
A spokesperson for Dignity Health confirmed that the healthcare chain was considering purchasing the land, south of Greenway Road west of Loop 303 but said it was too early in the process to share details of the proposal.
Growing population fueling healthcare demand
Jeanine Jerkovic, Surprise’s economic development director, said the growing population in the West Valley has led to increased demand for medical care, including family practice, internal medicine and emergency treatment.
“This new proposed facility represents our community’s first full-service hospital and healthcare campus location, serving both the local and regional market,” Jerkovic said in an email.
Hospitals planned around the Valley
Dignity’s expansion into Surprise comes as other hospital systems also disclose expansion plans in the Phoenix area. This month, Banner Health announced it is planning a $400 million hospital, cancer center and medical campus in north Scottsdale, widening the provider’s footprint into the northeast Valley.
Both Banner and Abrazo Community Health Network announced plans in 2022 to build hospitals in Buckeye. The two hospitals will be across the freeway from one another in the West Valley city, which currently has no hospitals.