Banner Health's strategic growth plan focuses intensely on providing convenience and access for our patients, members and their families. The residents and families we serve today – and those we will serve tomorrow – need the full range of health care choices close to where they live and work, when they want it, at the moment they need it. The new Banner Scottsdale Medical Center will make it easier for our 50,000 members in Scottsdale and nearby to get the care they need without having to drive across the Valley.
Absolutely. Between 2020 and 2030, the northeast Valley will add 100,000 new residents, according to Census statistics. This 17-percent increase in population represents a new city larger than Goodyear or Yuma – new residents who will demand quality health care close to home. Today, many Banner members who live in and around Scottsdale face drives over an hour for specialized cancer care or surgical procedures. That's a hassle at a time when they need the best possible care close to home and available right now. The same goes for the residents of tomorrow who will join Banner rightfully expecting to have all their health care needs met nearby, efficiently and cost-effectively.
Access to a variety of health care providers and insurance companies creates more options and convenience for consumers and real cost savings for families and employers. The new medical campus will be “one-stop shopping” for residents who need quality medical services, from an emergency room visit to an elective surgical procedure, physical therapy to cancer treatment to medical imaging and prescriptions filled. All of this will take place on one site, as opposed to sending our 50,000 members all around metro Phoenix in search of the services they need.
Not at all. Banner has become a national leader in solving our industry's shortage of qualified workers. We've increased starting salaries and given our more than 9,000 registered nurses substantial pay increases to keep our workforce stable. We've developed an international nursing program that allows nurses from other countries to become core staff members in less than three years. And we've partnered with Maricopa Community Colleges, Grand Canyon University and ASU to create fast-track training to staff health care openings with well-trained college graduates. Currently, Banner hosts 80% of all nursing student rotations in the state. Finding the best and the brightest to work for us in the northeast Valley will not be an issue.
Additional traffic will be minimal, both on the street and in the air. There are few homes in the immediate neighborhood of the medical campus, situated with excellent access to Hayden Road and the Loop 101 freeway. The hospital's helicopter pad will not be a base station for BannerAir, nor will the facility be a Level I trauma center. That will keep air traffic to a minimum.
The 48 acres of land that Banner purchased in March 2023 currently carries commercial industrial zoning. We have begun the City of Scottsdale process to create a special campus zoning district. This zoning designation will allow us to build out the medical campus and to create workforce housing options for employees who will work in the area. We look forward to working with our neighbors, the business community, city staff and Scottsdale's elected leaders on a project that will improve health care for tens of thousands of residents. This project promises to create jobs, lift the economy and provide resources to improve quality of life for every Scottsdale resident. Banner Health could not be more pleased to grow our presence in Scottsdale and to help residents and families get healthy and stay healthy.