Banner Health Center
Submitted by: City of Maricopa
After years of planning, and nearly nine months of construction, the new Banner Health Center in Maricopa is open and seeing patients. As the first major medical facility in Maricopa, the center is the result of a public/private partnership between the City of Maricopa and Banner Health. Recognizing a critical need for medical services among Maricopa’s rapidly growing population, the City began discussions with Banner Health back in 2006 and the partnership solidified in 2010.
A community open house was held on May 12 to give residents an opportunity to take a behind-the-scenes tour, meet physicians and staff, and learn about services offered at the center. During the official grand opening on May 16, the center saw 29 patients with many more residents stopping in to learn more about the facility and schedule future appointments. The center focuses on primary care, and provides residents of Maricopa and surrounding communities with access to family/general medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics and OB/GYN physicians. Ancillary services, including laboratory services, general X-ray imaging and patient education are also offered. One innovative feature of the center is the consult room, which connects patients in Maricopa to physicians and specialists from Banner’s other branches via video feed. Banner Health operates 14 other branches in Arizona, as well as branches in California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and Wyoming.
Approximately 200 Banner employees already live in Maricopa and work at other branches in the Phoenix metropolitan area. With the opening of the new center, a number of these employees have been given an opportunity to both live and work in Maricopa. The Maricopa Center is starting with approximately 15 staff members, including six physicians, six medical assistants and a radiology technician. Specialists will be available at the facility a few times a week with possible specialty services including cardiology, general surgery and orthopedics.
Banner Health plans to expand the 41,000 square-foot facility in the future as Maricopa’s population continues to grow and additional medical services are needed. Two more phases are envisioned, which could include adding a second level to the facility and increasing the number of staff to up to 40 physicians plus additional support personnel. The Maricopa Center is unique from Banner Health’s previous projects in that it is their first facility completely conceptualized and designed from scratch, and it is based on knowledge acquired through construction and operation of its other branches.
The new Banner Health Center is one of several exciting projects underway in Maricopa. Other major projects that will be completed over the next two years include phase one of Central Arizona College’s Maricopa Campus, a new city services complex (City Hall and a police station) and a multigenerational and aquatics center.