The Flagstaff City Council is scheduled to vote this afternoon on the plans for a new regional hospital located near Fort Tuthill County Park. The proposal has stirred up both support and objections from the community. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny spoke with a representative from Northern Arizona Healthcare, Steve Eiss, who says the current hospital doesn’t have enough beds for a fast-growing population.
First off, what kind of new investments are going to be needed in transportation to make sure people can get to this area?
A couple of things. One, we have committed to a free shuttle service from Mountain Line’s last stop to our facility, so anyone that needs to get access to the facility will have that at their service, free of charge…. I do understand how some who are either living or working directly in downtown feel that we’re taking access away, but in all reality, we are providing better access. Not only from its location being at the intersection of the 17 and the 40 for our two-thirds of patients who come from out of town, but also providing access to beds. So when we look at access, we look at equity of access to care, it’s also making sure the residents of Northern Arizona have the facilities and beds they need in their own community, as opposed to having to travel to Phoenix or Las Vegas or something like that, which can be really financially damaging to our patients.
Now the new hospital is going to require an investment in new firefighting capabilities as well. Can you tell me about that?
We have agreed to make an investment in half of a new fire station, somewhere near the existing fire station, for them to be able to serve not only us, but the future capacity for decades to come in that area. So that’s what we feel is a projected 5-million-dollar investment that NAH is making for future firefighting capabilities for the city.
So half paid for by Northern Arizona Healthcare and half by the City of Flagstaff?
That is correct.
Some community members have brought up concerns about climate change and sustainability of the new facility, specifically, with hopes that this would help the City reach its plan to be carbon neutral by 2030. Can you talk a little bit about that?
I think reality is that one of the only paths forward to the carbon reduction plan by 2030 for the City of Flagstaff is for us to move. While I understand the concerns around the carbon footprint of the new facility, we know the carbon footprint of our existing facility, and we know we’re going to be a 45% reduction in electrical usage at our new facility…. We’ve also agreed to sign up for APS’ Green Partner Connect program… It’s us agreeing to pay a slightly higher electric bill every month, in order for APS to be able to invest in capital programs to bring green power to us.
What is going to happen to the old hospital and the healthcare facilities that surround it?
Our plan is to go through a redevelopment process on the existing campus when the time is right. The majority of this campus is zoned as high density residential. Odds are, we are not going to have 40-50 acres of high density residential, and it’s going to be something that will be more of a mixed used community focused redevelopment process. So there will be a rezoning case which will give the community their time to have the input on the existing campus.
Is the vision that Northern Arizona Healthcare would continue to manage whatever new is on that site, or will it be redeveloped and then sold?
The redevelopment or the capital dollars put toward redevelopment will more than likely not be coming from Northern Arizona Healthcare. Whether or not we retain ownership of the buildings and/or the land, I think depends on what it becomes, and what the future looks like from a financing perspective… Our intention is not to become real estate developers in downtown. Our intention is to, as owners of the property, we can be stewards of what it can become for the community.
I really appreciate all the information, thank you so much for speaking with me.
