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Saturday, August 01, 2009
Hospital Expected To Spur More Growth
By Rosalie Rayburn
Journal Staff Writer
Rio Rancho Mayor Thomas Swisstack says Presbyterian Healthcare Services' decision to restart its hospital project will keep the city's positive momentum going.
The 400,000-square-foot hospital slated to be built at Unser and Black Arroyo will be the biggest single project Presbyterian has undertaken, Presbyterian president and CEO Jim Hinton said at a news conference this week during which he announced the project would move forward.
The hospital will join several other construction projects in Rio Rancho. In the city center, Hewlett-Packard is building a customer support center, University of New Mexico is building a campus that will eventually include a hospital, and Central New Mexico Community College is expected to start construction soon of its campus.
"For a city that's only 28 years old, that is not a bad movement," Swisstack said.
The nonprofit health care organization originally planned to have the hospital ready to open in 2010 but delayed the project last fall, saying the economic climate made it too costly to secure construction financing.
Now, construction work is expected to begin in late fall with completion targeted for 2011, Presbyterian spokesman Todd Sandman said.
Presbyterian has scaled down the planned size of the hospital from 121 beds to 66 beds, but it will still provide surgery, cardiac care and labor and delivery services. Hinton said he expects the hospital to deliver around 1,400 babies in its first full year of operation.
Having those services available in Rio Rancho will, "have an impact on the quality of life in this community that cannot be calculated," Swisstack said.
Swisstack said in an interview that having a "major anchor tenant" like the hospital would have a multiplier effect on Rio Rancho's economy. He said he has had many inquiries from businesses who are eager to know when Presbyterian would be breaking ground on the hospital.
He predicts additional medical providers, such as blood services and X-ray service providers, could be interested in establishing offices near the hospital.
University of New Mexico spokesman Billy Sparks has previously said UNM hopes to break ground on its hospital by the end of the year.
Sparks said Thursday that UNM hopes to make a formal announcement within a few weeks but was unable to give details.
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