Who is paying for the new hospital?

It is 100% privately funded. Northern Arizona Healthcare will be paying for ALL the costs associated with building the new hospital. NAH is also paying for nearby road improvements and other infrastructure, which is not typical of developers in the city of Flagstaff. In addition, there are no new taxes or fees for Flagstaff taxpayers.

Why can’t you just renovate the existing hospital?

Over the last few decades, the hospital has already been renovated and expanded as much as possible.

The only space left to expand is to go up, which means tearing down entire structures and rebuilding much taller buildings. It would mean the temporary closure of Beaver Street, if not permanently. It would mean fewer parking spaces, and years of noisy construction, dust, and traffic congestion.

Entire sections of the hospital would have to be closed for years on end to allow for the decade of new construction and remodels to take place. Critical services would be curtailed and there would be far fewer patient beds.

As a facility that is already short on space, and overwhelmed by patients, making the situation even worse is not something the hospital or the community would be interested in doing. 

What will happen to Flagstaff Medical Center?

It will not be abandoned.

Northern Arizona Healthcare is bound by contract to work with the City of Flagstaff and a community based advisory council to determine the best future use (or uses) for that property. Ultimately the Flagstaff City Council will participate in what happens on that property. NAH and the city have already taken steps to create this advisory council through our development agreement to gather public input, host community meetings, and work to build consensus on this issue. 

You can read more about that in the development agreement.

Where will the new hospital be located?

The site location for the new hospital will be built on private land in the south part of the city where the I-17 and I-40 meet, near Fort Tuthill County Park.

What impact will construction have on the environment and open spaces?

The new hospital will be built with sustainability as its guiding star.

For example, compared to the existing hospital, the carbon footprint will be reduced by 4,000 metric tons per year. Water consumption will be cut by 22 million gallons per year!

The project will be partially powered by solar panels and will include electric vehicle charging stations.

Additionally, the new hospital has partnered with other organizations to fund renewable energy projects.

With a larger, better-equipped emergency medical center, the number of patients that have to drive or be airlifted to Phoenix or Las Vegas will be reduced dramatically.

This not only can save lives, but it also helps reduce the carbon emissions from unnecessary automobile trips and helicopter flights to destinations hundreds of miles from Flagstaff.

This seems like a big project. Shouldn’t voters have more time to review this?

The new hospital has actually been under consideration for over two years. During that time, Northern Arizona Healthcare worked with the city council, city planners, community organizers, and other interested parties to determine the best fit for the community.

Countless hours were spent in the planning stages, not to mention hundreds of public meetings where the community could address their concerns.

Every idea was taken into consideration and concessions were made by NAH to meet the public’s preferences and expectations. In the end, the city council reviewed all the changes and passed it 6-0.

What will be the economic impact?

The new hospital would generate nearly $250 million in economic impact for the city of Flagstaff alone. Furthermore, the project would boost tax revenue for the city by nearly $4 million annually to help fund important programs throughout the city. These numbers were calculated by an independent economic analysis firm as part of the studies the City of Flagstaff required to review, revise, and approve this project.