Northwest Emergency Center at Vail kicked off construction with a groundbreaking ceremony at the Houghton Town Center.
The emergency room is owned by Northwest Medical Center and will be Tucson’s first freestanding emergency department. It’s being built in the Houghton Town Center at 10146 E. Old Vail Road on the Southwest side of Houghton and Old Vail Roads.
The new $7.2 million emergency room is scheduled to open later this year.
Although this is a new facility of its kind to our city, Tucson isn’t the first to receive a freestanding emergency center. Several cities across the country have built freestanding emergency facilities in response to heightened demand. Some of this demand comes from a reduction in hospital based emergency departments.
Coucilwoman Scott
Councilwoman Scott was on site to celebrate Northwest Emergency Room breaking ground in Ward 4. In addition to the emergency services this new building will provide, the councilwoman also said that it will create at least 30 new jobs in our area. Board-certified emergency physicians, nurses, technicians, and imaging, admitting, and environmental service staff will all need to be hired to fill roles at the new center.
In Vail and Rita Ranch, where emergency medical facilities are nonexistent, the emergency room will be a welcome addition. The facility will see people within a 10 mile radius. Included in that radius are an estimated 33,000 households, according to the Northwest Medical Center spokeswoman, Kimberly Chimene.
According to Northwest Medical Center, the facility will treat illnesses and injuries at a higher level than urgent care facilities can offer. There will be on-site radiology and lab services, as well as 12 private patient rooms.
