Mercy Gilbert Medical Center

History

In 2003, two companies presented plans for hospitals in the same general area of Gilbert, Arizona, along the under-construction Santan Freeway. Catholic Healthcare West (CHW) presented its proposal for a 120-bed facility, while Banner Health was also considering a hospital in the area. Approved in November 2003 as the Gilbert Medical Campus, CHW named the facility the Mercy Gilbert Medical Center in acknowledgement of the Sisters of Mercy, co-sponsors of the system's hospitals. By the time construction was under way in 2004, Banner had abandoned its plans for a nearby facility. Construction workers had to plow over alfalfa fields and chase off sheep in the previously agricultural area.

The first phase of Mercy Gilbert Medical Center opened on June 5, 2006, a week before the Santan Freeway extension to Val Vista Road opened. It was Gilbert's first full-service hospital and the second in the town overall, after the Gilbert Emergency Hospital, which opened its doors four months prior. It had 88 beds, with plans already under way to continue expansion. The campus, built at a cost of $152.5 million, also included a four-story medical office building. Population growth in the region at the time was such that CHW's Chandler Regional Hospital saw little relief in its emergency room caseload after Mercy Gilbert, just 10 minutes further east on the freeway, opened. After an expansion in 2009, the hospital had 206 beds. In 2012, CHW changed its name to Dignity Health.

In 2017, Dignity Health and Phoenix Children's Hospital (PCH)—in which Dignity owns a 20-percent stake—announced plans to build a new tower at Mercy Gilbert to house a branch of Phoenix Children's Hospital with a 50-bed pediatric wing—including a Level III-B neonatal intensive care unit—as well as 24 rooms for labor and delivery, to be administered as part of Mercy Gilbert. Previously, the hospital had opened a pediatric unit in 2008, only to close it in 2011 due to underutilization and the agreement with PCH. Known as Phoenix Children's Hospital–East Valley, the facility forms part of a regional expansion into satellite facilities on the edges of the Valley by the children's hospital. Originally scheduled to open in 2023, it was not in service as of May 2024.

References

References

1. "History".
2. Paterik, Stephanie. (July 31, 2003). "2 hospitals to be Gilbert's 1st". Arizona Republic.
3. (November 21, 2003). "Thank you Gilbert Town Council for bringing a hospital to our community!". Arizona Republic.
4. (January 14, 2004). "Catholic Healthcare West presents Mercy Gilbert Medical Center: Continuing a 112-Year Tradition". Arizona Republic.
5. (August 6, 2004). "New medical campus good Gilbert news". Arizona Republic.
6. van den Berg, David. (June 3, 2006). "Mercy Gilbert to open doors Monday". Arizona Republic.
7. van den Berg, David. (May 24, 2006). "Hospitals to be big employers: Gilbert Emergency open; Mercy Gilbert, Banner on way". Arizona Republic.
8. Ramirez, Chris. (March 16, 2006). "Mercy Gilbert Medical Center due to open in June: 100 beds at first; expansion to '07". Arizona Republic.
9. (July 15, 2005). "Mercy! It's top time: Gilbert hospital marks milestone today". Arizona Republic.
10. Muench, Sarah. (September 7, 2006). "Chandler ER struggles with caseload: New Gilbert hospital provides little to no relief". Arizona Republic.
11. Greene, Katherine. (April 25, 2009). "Mercy Gilbert completes second expansion". Arizona Republic.
12. Ross, Andrew. (January 25, 2012). "Catholic Healthcare West becomes Dignity Health". SFGate.
13. Alltucker, Ken. (August 16, 2017). "Gilbert hospital tower in works: Dignity Health join forces with Phoenix Children's Hospital for new". Arizona Republic.
14. van den Berg, David. (December 7, 2007). "Mercy Gilbert to open pair of units: Pediatric, post-surgical sections coming Feb. 4". Arizona Republic.
15. (May 11, 2011). "Mercy Gilbert Medical Center to shut pediatrics". Arizona Republic.
16. Innes, Stephanie. (February 6, 2023). "Phoenix Children's opening 2 children's hospitals as part of $400 million expansion". Arizona Republic.
17. Rivera, Suelen. (May 13, 2024). "Tiny miracles await: Phoenix Children's unveils state-of-the-art NICU at Thomas Campus". KTAR.