Chandler Regional opens 96-bed tower

Dignity Health Chandler Regional Medical Center opened a new 96-bed tower Aug. 26. The 171,000-square-foot expansion will bring the hospital’s bed count to 339, and allow for adding and growing comprehensive services.

“Chandler Regional is truly a community hospital with more than 50 years of history in the East Valley,” said Tim Bricker, president and CEO of Chandler Regional and Mercy Gilbert Medical Centers. “This new tower and the services we’re able to provide as a result, exemplify the city’s growth. We’re proud to be expanding to serve the health care needs of our community.”

The $125-million project began in December 2011, was completed nearly two months ahead of schedule, and will add more than 200 employees. The five-story addition includes 96 inpatient beds, expanded surgical services with six new operating rooms, a new Intensive Care Unit with 32 beds, and an expanded emergency department with more than 50 beds, four trauma bays, two helipads and a dedicated radiology department.

Chandler Regional first opened its doors in 1961 with just 42 beds, 25 employees and 91 volunteers at what is now McQueen Road and Chandler Boulevard.  The facility moved to its current location in 1984. In 1996 the hospital received $40 million in bonds, allowing for major expansion over the next 10 years. Growth included a 140,000-square-foot tower along with a women’s center, outpatient diagnostic imaging, dedicated emergency CT and MRI, two new labs and an additional nine-bed holding unit in the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory. The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with 12 private patient rooms featuring overnight accommodations opened in 2012.

The hospital began operating as a Level I Trauma Center in March 2014 after being granted provisional designation by the Arizona Department of Health Services. Official designation is expected later this fall.