As a Pima County Supervisor, I am invited to a significant number of community events. And when it comes to sharing annual reports or strategic vision, they usually take place at established venues.
Instead, I found myself on a warm, windy day in mid-May, dust clinging to my shoes, while making my way across a construction site to a tent at Houghton and Drexel. It was there the leaders of Tucson Medical Center shared their vision for the future – a vision that includes the Vail community. The location seemed an appropriate choice because it reflects the promise of this growing community. After all, it’s hard to make progress without getting your shoes a little dirty.
Tucson Medical Center (TMC) is investing $11 million into its new Rincon Health Campus, a 44,000 square foot building that will provide support and expertise in areas such as primary care and family care, along with specialty care and an outpatient wound clinic. As the project matures, TMC has indicated additional growth may occur with leased space to specialists, which may include OB/GYN, orthopedics, neurology, cardiology, psychiatry and dermatology.
The Vail area is a thriving community and home to a nationally recognized school district and it is heartening to see services catching up to the growth. This project will fill a critical gap in primary and specialty care when it opens in late 2016.
Investment in the area promises to support the area’s physical and economic health – particularly given that it is expected to generate nearly 100 direct and indirect jobs at full build-out.
I have worked closely with TMC over the span of two decades in serving this community. TMC has made a commitment to reach beyond its central campus into communities to engage residents in their health and well-being. They will be a good neighbor and a strong partner, and I am pleased to see this project coming to fruition.
