Peg Smith and Dr. Brian Tiffany brought us up-to-date on changes being made at Chandler Regional Hospital. They were introduced by Jerry Turner.
Peg is Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer at Chandler Regional where she has worked for 19 years after a 14-year stint at a hospital in Hawaii. She talked about the growth of services at CRH in the last 10 years, including addition of a cardiac care unit in 2004, their neuro-surgical capabilities in work with Barrow’s, and the overcapacity situations they face, particularly in the winter time when snow birds are here.
She talked about the new 180,000 square foot tower which will add 96 inpatient beds bringing the total to 339, an enlarged ER and additional operating rooms bringing the total to 16. The five-story addition will bring more family-friendly waiting room space and include a new café, plus intensive care rooms on the second and third floors and rooms with telemetry capabilities on the top two floors.
Construction on the $125 million tower began in 2011. Completion is scheduled for the fall of 2014. It will include an additional helicopter pad and 275 additional parking spaces.
Chandler Regional has also changed its address to Frey Road. Chandler Regional is part of Dignity Health, which also includes Mercy Gilbert and St. Joseph’s in Phoenix.