THATCHER — Roland Knox, CEO for Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center, said the hospital and Eastern Arizona College “are running parallel” in growth and service to the Gila Valley.
Those parallel lines intersected Thursday with the groundbreaking of the new Cosmetology Building on the Thatcher campus of EAC. The building will also house the MGRMC Copper Mountain Clinic Thatcher, the first hospital facility away from the main hospital campus in Safford.
The 7,300 square-foot clinic will provide both primary care and behavioral health services for students, college staff and the general public. It will also serve as practical training for students in EAC’s healthcare curriculum, including nursing.
In the Feb. 20 Projected Employment Report by the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity, the healthcare industry is expected to see the greatest growth in jobs (2.8 percent) across the state by 2026.
“President (Todd) Haynie, his board and our board, we’ve been looking to the future instead of just today,” Knox said. “We’re confident in what we’re doing day-to-day, and what we’re doing is the best we can do in providing for the community but, yes, I believe we’re ahead of the curve.”
The 12,000 square-foot school of cosmetology will have three classrooms, skin- and nail-care rooms, and practice and full-service salons.
“We see this as a win-win-win. It’s an opportunity for our students, and opportunity for our employees who have access, close access, across-the-street access to healthcare services, students who now have access to clinical opportunities, but also to the community,” Haynie said.
– David Bell Photo/Gila Valley Central
Both Knox and Haynie said additional projects are also on the horizon.
For MGRMC, work is finishing on the 32,000 square-foot Medical Office Complex Building 2, which will house Mt. Graham Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mt. Graham Orthopedics, Mt. Graham Spine and Pain, and Roadrunner Rehab. Plus MGRMC Wound Care will move into Medical Office Complex Building 1, the hospital is developing a new pharmacy facility for both in-patient and general public service, followed by expansion of both the Emergency and Surgery facilities.
And by the end of the year, MGRMC will be implementing a cardiology program, through a partnership with Vital Solutions.
For EAC, Haynie touted the new radiologic technology program, and said another associate’s degree program and a new bachelor’s degree program, both in the healthcare field, will be announced soon.
Construction will now start on the $15 million project, with completion and open to the public by summer 2026, and classrooms open to students the following fall.
