by Shirley Wagner
My relationship with HonorHealth goes back to 1977, when I started working at Scottsdale Memorial Hospital as a nuclear medicine technologist.
The system has had name changes over the years, but quality patient care has always been the top priority. Physicians that practice at the hospital are innovative and forward looking.
Upon retiring, I have continued my relationship with HonorHealth by volunteering at the Thompson Peak campus. Thompson Peak Medical Center was recently awarded a 5-star rating by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Two of the five hospitals in the state awarded this rating serve the north Scottsdale community. The other hospital awarded this 5-star rating is the nearby Mayo Clinic Hospital/Phoenix.
As a longtime and involved resident of Scottsdale, I am opposed to the construction of a Banner hospital at the southwest corner of Hayden Road and the 101 freeway — it is simply not needed. The north Scottsdale area already has the highest quality hospitals with plenty of proven bed capacity and expertise to meet our healthcare needs now and decades into the future.
HonorHealth accepts all major insurances, so Scottsdale residents do not need to travel out of the area to access high quality healthcare. The water usage of the proposed hospital would add additional burden to Scottsdale’s already taxed water supply.
The traffic on Hayden Road is already very heavy, the addition of hundreds of vehicles/day would be chaotic. An additional hospital in the area would exacerbate workforce staffing shortages. An unnecessary new hospital will not create more physicians and nurses but rather further strain the workforce.
I hope Mayor Ortega and the Scottsdale City Council will put Scottsdale residents first and say no to an unwanted and unneeded hospital near Hayden and the 101.