Robertson: New Banner hospital means more health care choices for Scottsdale

Laura Robertson

As a hospital CEO and a registered nurse with 35 years’ experience inside hospitals, I want to speak with you directly about the critical need for the new medical campus proposed by Banner Health near the Loop 101 and Hayden Road.

We’ve chosen this location because the community absolutely needs it — today and tomorrow.

As you read this, more than 50,000 Scottsdale area residents rely on Banner for both their health insurance and health care. As a combination health care provider and an insurance company, we are duty bound to provide these tens of thousands of members with high-quality, cost-effective care close to home. Today, many of these residents and families face long drives across the Valley to get specialized treatment like cancer care.

That will change for them once the new medical campus opens in 2026. The first phase of the project will feature a 350,000-square-foot, full service, acute care hospital capable of accommodating 135 patient beds and a 24/7 emergency room built to shave valuable minutes off emergency transport times as Scottsdale grows. The campus will also be home to a leading-edge cancer center.

Scottsdale’s meteoric population growth underscores why the new hospital is so critical. Census statistics predict the community will add another 100,000 residents by 2030 — meanwhile Scottsdale residents continue to age, requiring more available health care options. According to Sg2 forecasts, hospital capacity problems will persist as patient acuity rises and volumes increase. Arizona already ranks 42 out of 50 states and D.C. when it comes to hospital beds per 1,000 population.

Recently, you may have read that the Scottsdale firefighters’ union has taken a political stance against Banner’s proposal. We respect their contribution to public safety, though we strongly disagree with their rationale — that “more hospitals do not mean more doctors and nurses.”

As someone who has spent three decades ensuring that Arizonans have the care they need in hospital settings, let me assure you that more doctors and nurses is exactly what a new hospital means. Banner Health, the state’s largest private employer and health care provider, with a team of 53,000, is working every day to make it so.

Currently, Banner hosts 80% of all nursing student rotations across Arizona. We partner with Maricopa Community Colleges, Grand Canyon University, Arizona State University, University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University to staff job openings with well-trained college graduates. Banner has the largest ANCC-accredited new graduate RN program in the world. Last year alone, we hired 1,608 new graduate RNs into this program.

In partnership with the University of Arizona, we also have a graduate medical education program that trains 1,400 physicians annually, with many staying here to practice in Arizona and at Banner once they graduate. We are fully aware of the health care workforce shortage in our country, and we are committed to proactively addressing it to ensure our patients have the doctors and nurses they need.

The new hospital will not create health care staffing shortages in the community, and it will not increase EMS offload times. Just the opposite, actually — a new hospital will decrease the time it takes for first responders to transport patients to an emergency room and get back on the road to respond to their next 911 call. It will reduce ER wait times, too.

In the months to come, the Banner team will continue to talk and meet with Scottsdale Fire Department leaders and other fire service leaders across the Valley to get their valuable input on this project. We will hold neighborhood meetings and conduct face-to-face outreach to build understanding and support among residents. And we will continue to work in collaboration with Scottsdale City Council and city staff to navigate the entitlement and design review process to build a win-win for the community.

At Banner, we’re committed to being fully transparent about this opportunity to expand access and choice for Banner members and residents. We look forward to bringing more doctors and nurses to Scottsdale so that all your health care needs may be met today and in the future. If you have feedback for us, please visit the project’s website at www.bannerhealth.com/BannerScottsdale.

The mission for all of us at Banner is to make health care easier, so life can be better. The new medical campus will do exactly that by fulfilling the health care needs of the community as it grows. Whether Scottsdale residents need a doctor’s visit, a prescription, a midnight trip to the ER, or help beating cancer, Banner Health will continue to expand the health care options we offer to keep this growing community as healthy as possible.

Editor’s Note: Laura Robertson is CEO for Banner Scottsdale Medical Center, Banner Desert Medical Center, Banner Children’s at Banner Desert and Banner Ocotillo Medical Center.