NexCore Group has broken ground in Tucson for a post-acute care (PAC) center for Northwest Healthcare and Community Health Systems (CHS). A groundbreaking ceremony for the 60-bed Northwest Transitions was held Feb. 11.
The two-story, approximately 61,000 square foot facility will be located on the Northwest Medical Center campus, adjacent to the hospital and the Gateway Medical Plaza, at 6200 N. La Cholla Blvd. The PAC center will have two separate licenses, one as a hospital and one for skilled nursing.
Todd Varney, chief development officer and managing partner of Denver-based NexCore, said the facility will share core services between the two separate uses.
“Northwest Transitions will effectively allow our clients, Northwest Healthcare and CHS, to manage their patients’ exposure to readmission by having multiple points of post-acute care under their control,” Mr. Varney said during the groundbreaking celebration. “With 30 beds dedicated to transitional care and 30 beds dedicated to inpatient rehabilitation, we anticipate this new facility to be a healthcare gamechanger in the growing Tucson market.”
Jennifer Schomburg, CEO, Northwest Medical Center commented on the importance of the new facility, which will expand the continuity of care to the health system’s patients.
“Our hospitals are committed to providing high-quality, safe care for our patients,” Ms. Schomburg said. “And we found that many of our patients, once they leave us, end up coming back again within 30 days of their discharge. We believe that when a patient needs to be discharged from our hospital into a skilled nursing facility or inpatient rehab facility, that we should be providing that ongoing care.
“We can make it seamless and we believe that hospital readmissions for our patients can be can improve continuity of care and better patient outcomes. That is why we’re excited to break ground today on this new facility.”
NexCore has been involved in a multitude of facets in the project, including design and funding. Commenting on NexCore’s role in the project, Northwest Medical Center Chief Operating Officer Cameron Lewis reflected on the difference the firm has made.
“I think the thing that really set them apart is that they treated it like their own project,” Mr. Lewis remarked. “They were brainstorming with us; they were thinking about different ways to make the building pop and to make it seem like an inviting place. They didn’t treat it as, ‘We’re here to help you build your project,’ but ‘We’re going to build this project together with you and it’s just as much ours as it is yours.’”
The mutual respect between the firms was echoed by NexCore’s Senior Vice President, Business Development, Nathan Golik.
“What’s encouraging to me, as we sat through several meetings on the front end, is the care that the Northwest Healthcare staff have specifically for the patients of Tucson,” Mr. Golik noted. “You could see that through the design process, through our conversations with them about how to deliver the best care for the people here locally.”
A grand opening for the facility is expected in early 2021.