SAFFORD — Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center is planning for its first off-campus facility.
During the Partnership Panel Wednesday, MGRMC CEO Roland Knox said the hospital is working with Eastern Arizona College about a health clinic on the college campus in Thatcher.
“Instead of thinking of, ‘OK, you’ve got to come to us,’ it’s more about us starting to think, ‘We’ll come to you, and where should we do that and how do we do that,’ ” Knox said.
The plan is to place a 7,300-square-foot primary care health clinic in the new building that will also house EAC’s cosmetology program. The clinic will allow the hospital to treat patients in the western portion of the county as well as help train college students in various medical curriculum.
The college expects to break ground on the new 19,300-square-foot building later this fall.
Knox added that the hospital has added a second orthopedic surgeon, two additional obstetricians/gynecologists, and is planning for a significant expansion of Roadrunner Rehabilitation. All of whom will be housed in the hospital’s second 32,000-square-foot medical office complex currently under construction on the Safford campus.
The attendees also learned that a lack of affordable housing is an issue in attracting medical professionals to work at the hospital — especially nurses, techs and administrative staff.
And MGRMC has provided about $800,000 worth of “charity care” through the first seven months of the year. Charity care is providing essential medical service to those without insurance or an ability to pay.
