SAFFORD — “Although it’s growing into a state-of-the-art medical center, in my heart, it’s still a hometown hospital,” said Thatcher Mayor Jenny Howard.
Howard was one of a number of guest speakers at the ribbon-cutting for Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center’s newest facility — Medical Office Complex 2 — Thursday morning.
Other speakers included Hospital Board President Carolina Gaethje, Daniel Esquivel with BFL Marketing Specialists, Laura Vettes with Swaim Associates, Safford Mayor Richard Ortega, Graham County Supervisor John Howard, Graham County Chamber of Commerce board member Eric Bejarano, state Rep. Lupe Diaz and state Sen. David Gowan.
“The great thing about Mt. Graham (Regional Medical Center) is their vision of expanding to continue to serve this community, so (residents) can stay home and they don’t have to go off into another region to get the specialties and all that,” Gowan said.
– David Bell Photo/Gila Valley Central
The 32,000 square-foot Medical Office Complex Building 2 is the new home for Mt. Graham Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mt. Graham Orthopedics, Mt. Graham Spine and Pain, and Roadrunner Rehab.
MGRMC CEO Roland Knox said it’s just the latest in a number of expansion initiatives for the hospital.
Work should begin on a new stand-alone outpatient pharmacy that’s also open to the public sometime this fall, the new Cath Lab should be in place by Winter 2025, construction of Copper Mountain Clinic-Thatcher on the campus of Eastern Arizona College is underway and expected to open in Summer 2026, and the planning process for expansion of the surgery suites and ER is expected to be complete within the next six months.
What follows will be determined by those who use the hospital.
“We’ll be starting our next community needs assessment,” Knox said. “That will ask the community, ‘What else do you need from us?’ ”
Knox added that the hospital is bringing on staff Urology services and is looking to hire additional Mental Health providers, with the plan to have at least one operate out of Copper Mountain Clinic-Thatcher to serve the western portion of the Gila Valley.
– David Bell Photo/Gila Valley Central
