Three healthcare facilities and one senior housing project developed by NexCore Group, a national healthcare, life sciences and senior housing real estate developer, have been honored as Finalists in Healthcare Real Estate Insights™ (HREI) magazine’s annual, national awards program. NexCore, which is headquartered in Denver, developed the facilities in Glendale, Tucson, Palm Coast and Lenox, a suburb of Detroit.
Todd Varney, NexCore’s Chief Development Officer, remarked, “It’s always a great feeling when NexCore’s projects are recognized as Finalists in the HREI Insights awards program, but to have four in one year – Northwest Transitions and Banner Health Center plus in Arizona, The Azure at Palm Coast in Florida, and Beaumont Outpatient Campus in Michigan – is truly something that makes us proud.”
Jarrod Daddis, President of NexCore, adds: “NexCore is thrilled to be honored by the HREI Awards again this year. These Finalists validate NexCore’s mission of developing quality healthcare facilities and complementary asset classes nationwide.”
In the eight years since the highly competitive HREI Insights Awards began, NexCore projects have been named Finalists 24 times (including this year’s finalists) and Winners six times, including four times for development projects, once for Lifetime Achievement (Tim Oliver, Director Strategic Planning & Development, won in 2016) and once for Healthcare Real Estate Executive of the Year (Greg Venn, CEO, won in 2019).
The NexCore-developed projects that were named 2021 Finalists are:
Banner Health Center plus, Glendale, Ariz.
A Finalist in the “Best New Development, MOBs and Other Outpatient Facilities, More than 100,000 square feet” Category, Banner Health Center plus is a three-story, 128,413-square foot Medical Office Building (MOB) in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Ariz.
Banner selected NexCore to develop a new MOB unlike any other in Banner’s portfolio to provide easy access to top-quality healthcare with multiple, diverse services under one roof. NexCore led a lean design initiative, studied patient/provider experiences and best practices and initiated efficiencies that led to an overall lower cost per encounter while achieving a more positive patient experience. The completed MOB offered wayfinding to ease patient anxiety, dual entry exam rooms, off-stage integrated care team setting, full height glazing in waiting areas to maximize daylight and connection to mountain views and a wellness trail.
“Banner Health Center plus embodies the creative solutions NexCore brings to many projects – incorporating elements that are part of the health system’s DNA, woven through our signature flexible model that is designed to adapt to the specific market’s needs,” Mr. Varney says. “The efficiencies gained through user groups and patient/provider experience processes and prototypes has once again resulted in an outstanding healthcare facility that meets the needs of the client, the consumer, and the community.”
Beaumont Outpatient Campus – Lenox, Lenox, Mich.
A Finalist in the “Best New Development, MOBs and Other Outpatient Facilities, More than 100,000 square feet” Category, Beaumont Outpatient Campus – Lenox is a three-story, 109,630-square foot MOB, Ambulatory Service Center (ASC) and Emergency Department (ED) in Lenox, Mich., a growing suburb of Detroit.
Beaumont wanted to open two outpatient hubs that didn’t cannibalize existing locations yet would establish a Beaumont presence in high growth areas. They also wanted to align with independent providers to bring complementary healthcare services to the campus. NexCore determined the optimal location and created a flexible building design to meet Beaumont’s and independent providers’ needs. To incentivize long-term physician leases, NexCore structured an ownership opportunity for independent physician tenants. NexCore ultimately recruited one of the premier primary care groups in the market amidst the pandemic, creating a patient referral network for the specialist tenants.
“Beaumont Health Outpatient Campus illustrates the creative solutions NexCore deploys to not only develop an outstanding healthcare project, but to also reward those who work there, in this case, the physician groups that occupy it, with the opportunity to invest in the ownership of the real estate,” says Mr. Daddis. “It’s these additional qualities that make a NexCore project more than just a development. Each one becomes a unique solution that results not just in a place to give and receive care, but also a workplace that instills a sense of place and pride of ownership. It is one more example of a building being more than the sum of its parts, providing excellent health and wellness solutions and investment opportunities; a true win-win. All of these buildings make NexCore proud, and we are grateful for the recognition and validation from HREI.”
Northwest Transitions, Tucson, Ariz.
A Finalist in the Best New Development, Hospitals and Other Inpatient Facilities (any size) Category, Northwest Transitions is a two-story, 61,010 square foot Long-Term Acute Care/Post-Acute Care Center located on the Northwest Medical Center Campus in Tucson, a well-established growth market.
Northwest Healthcare (NWHC) wanted to build a post-acute care center on NWMC’s campus to reduce readmissions and achieve better patient outcomes. When NexCore had nearly completed the project, NWHC identified the need to transition the facility from an inpatient rehab facility/skilled nursing facility to a long-term acute-care (LTAC) hospital. This required integration of a third-party operator, facility changes and re-permitting. NexCore quickly paused construction and collaborated with NWHC and all development partners to realign the building design to suit licensing requirements of LTAC facilities.
“Staying nimble and true to our client’s needs and desires is something NexCore has always striven to do in the most seamless and graceful way possible, and we apply that filter to every healthcare project we are chosen to create,” says Mr. Varney. “Maintaining creativity, flexibility and adaptability in the face of last-minute changes is not only necessary in this sector, but it also proves to our clients and partners that we are devoted to their best interests, and ultimately the patients our facilities serve. Northwest Transitions is a great example of that spirit of adaptability.”
The Azure at Palm Coast, Palm Coast, Fla.
A Finalist in the “Best New Development, Post-Acute & Senior Living Facilities (any size)” Category, The Azure at Palm Coast is a three-story, 97,625-square foot Assisted Living and Memory Care community consisting of 112 units (81 assisted living and 31 memory care) in the North Fla. community of Palm Coast. The project was developed by Experience Senior Living Development (ESLD), a new division of NexCore dedicated to the senior housing sector.
NexCore’s senior housing development company identified a market deficit of senior housing in Palm Coast, Fla. Property was purchased from a seller with plans to develop a two-story stick frame building, which did not meet development standards for a senior housing community. NexCore redesigned the building into a modern, non-combustible senior housing community around a centralized courtyard with an inspiring outdoor landscape and lake views for residents to enjoy. In addition, and most important, the new building structure would keep residents safe during any major storms or hurricanes.
“The Azure at Palm Coast is an excellent example of how our new division, Experience Senior Living Development, will inform and reshape senior housing and memory care,” says Mr. Daddis. “It’s more than just providing a beautiful place to live and thrive in one’s later years. It’s also having the agility and foresight to make changes in design that will ultimately benefit the residents and in turn the community it serves.”
About the HREI Insights Awards
Founded in 2003, HREI (Healthcare Real Estate Insights) is the nation’s first and only print and digital media organization entirely devoted to covering healthcare real estate (HRE) development, financing and investment. Now in their ninth year, the HREI Insights Awards are the first and only national awards dedicated to recognizing excellence in the areas of HRE development and executive leadership. The winners of the 2021 HREI Insights Awards will be announced Dec. 1 at the Globs Healthcare conference in Scottsdale, Ariz. For more information on the awards, please visit HREInsights.com.