Phoenix Children’s to Build Freestanding Emergency Department, Specialty Clinic in Avondale

Phoenix Children’s will soon begin work on a freestanding emergency department and multi-specialty clinic in Avondale, Ariz., which will provide West Valley families access to top-ranked, pediatric-specific emergency care and expanded specialty services, now closer to home.

The opening of the Southwest Campus is part of a larger strategic effort by Phoenix Children’s to expand access to care for families in the West Valley and throughout the state. The Southwest Campus will be built on the site of Phoenix Children’s Southwest Valley Specialty and Urgent Care Center at 1665 N. Avondale Blvd. Construction is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2021. Phoenix Children’s expects to open all aspects of the new site by the spring of 2023.

“Expanding this site in the West Valley is part of a multifaceted plan to bring care right into the communities of the families Phoenix Children’s serves,” said Robert L. Meyer, president and CEO, Phoenix Children’s. “Not only will this site expand specialty care services, but it will also answer a pressing need for emergency care for children.”

Since opening the Southwest Valley Specialty and Urgent Care Center, Phoenix Children’s has experienced a surge in patients who had critical or complex needs and required advanced care. Indeed, there are more than 30,000 pediatric emergency visits each year in the Avondale area, but no pediatric-specific option for emergency care. As the West Valley’s population is projected to grow at twice the national rate over the next five years, the demand for children’s health services will continue to increase.

“Phoenix Children’s has been a part of the Avondale community and serving the Southwest Valley for more than a decade now. Its facility served as a catalyst for the successful Avondale Healthcare Corridor and is a pillar of Avondale,” said Ken Chapa, City of Avondale Economic Development Director. “As the region’s population continues to grow, we are extremely excited about Phoenix Children’s plans that will address the growing demand for pediatric care in our community and create an economic impact of nearly $450 million over the next ten years.”

“Kids with serious or life-threatening illnesses or injuries fare much better at a pediatric emergency department than an adult ER,” said Jared Muenzer, MD, Physician in Chief at Phoenix Children’s. “This site will be staffed with board-certified pediatric emergency medicine specialists who have the training and expertise to care for the most critical patients. I have spent years working in Phoenix Children’s Emergency Department, and I can’t stress enough the importance of staffing pediatric experts who are trained and ready the moment this care site opens.”

Phoenix Children’s will invest $33.5 million to build and equip a new 71,250-square-foot, three-story medical office building and retrofit the existing 35,000-square-foot building to provide emergency services. The Southwest Campus will expand Phoenix Children’s urgent care to emergent care. The new emergency department will offer 24/7 emergency care; access to physicians in more than 75 pediatric sub-specialties; 40 rooms that include triage, treatment and resuscitation rooms; six fast-track “quick turnover” beds; ultrasound, CT, fluoroscopy and digital radiography. Nearly 130 Phoenix Children’s employees are expected to work out of the Southwest Campus location, with half of these being new positions.

Also of note, the clinic will expand pediatric psychology and psychiatry services in response to growing demand across greater Phoenix.

Phoenix Children’s multi-specialty clinic, which will be located next door to the emergency department at the Southwest Campus, will expand services in numerous high-demand specialties including cardiology, developmental pediatrics, endocrinology, gastroenterology, general surgery, plastic surgery, genetics, nephrology, neurology, neuropsychology, neurosurgery, orthopedic and hand, pulmonology, rheumatology, rehab therapy, neonatology, fetal development, allergy, dermatology and urology. The clinic will also offer more than double the number of patient rooms, from 27 today to 68 when the new site opens.

“We have additional plans in store that will make a real difference for West Valley families,” added Meyer. “Our most important responsibility is to provide the right care, at the right time and place, to children in our community.”

Phoenix Children’s plans to add more specialty services at the Southwest Campus in years to come. Indeed, the site’s design will accommodate future development, up to and including inpatient care, as the community grows. The health system expects no interruption to urgent care or specialty services during construction of the Southwest Campus.

Phoenix Children’s is one of the Nation’s largest pediatric health systems. It comprises Phoenix Children’s Hospital–Main Campus, Phoenix Children’s Hospital–East Valley at Dignity Health Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, four pediatric specialty and urgent care centers, 11 community pediatric practices, 20 outpatient clinics, two ambulatory surgery centers and six community-service-related outpatient clinics throughout the state of Arizona. The system has provided world-class inpatient, outpatient, trauma, emergency and urgent care to children and families for more than 35 years. Phoenix Children’s Care Network includes more than 850 pediatric primary care providers and specialists who deliver care across more than 75 subspecialties.