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Anniversaries

Abrazo hospital reaches 1 year in Surprise

City's first hospital was busy from start

Posted 10/13/21

Abrazo Surprise Hospital, the city’s first full service hospital, celebrated its first anniversary this month.

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Anniversaries

Abrazo hospital reaches 1 year in Surprise

City's first hospital was busy from start

Posted

Abrazo Surprise Hospital, the city’s first full service hospital, celebrated its first anniversary this month.

Surprise-area residents welcomed medical care close to home, and the first patients arrived shortly after the hospital opened its doors Oct. 12, 2020, at 16815 W. Bell Road.

The emergency department at Abrazo Surprise Hospital was immediately busy, and the hospital located at the southwest corner of Loop 303 and West Bell Road admitted its first inpatient later that day.

“The fact that patients were seeking us out so quickly reinforced there is a need for hospital services in the city of Surprise,” said Abrazo Surprise Hospital Administrative Director Chrissy Salazar.

Among the first through the hospital doors was a Surprise resident who brought her grandson to the hospital with a hand injury. A bit later, a worker from a nearby business wasn’t feeling well, went to the Abrazo Surprise Hospital ER and ended up being the hospital’s first inpatient overnight admission.

“The number of patients seen and admitted doubled from our first month of operation to the next. Our latest data shows we’ve continued the upward trend in both emergency department use and inpatient admissions,” Salazar said. “And the number of ambulances bringing patients has nearly tripled in the first year. Area residents and first responders have clearly seen the value in having Abrazo in the community.”

Abrazo Surprise Hospital offers care beyond what’s available at an urgent care or freestanding emergency center.

“As Surprise continues to grow, care closer to home is extremely important,” Surprise Mayor Skip Hall said. “We are thrilled that Abrazo Health chose Surprise to provide residents with 24/7 emergency care, minor procedures and outpatient exams within our city limits. Congratulations to the Abrazo Health team for an outstanding first year of service to our community.” 

Abrazo Surprise Hospital has a full emergency department and general surgery coverage, explained Salazar. Its staff is prepared for just about anything, said Salazar. The current average door-to-doctor time in the ER is less than 15 minutes, she said.

“If someone comes to our ER with abdominal pain and needs an appendectomy or gall bladder surgery, for example, they can be admitted and the procedure performed in our OR,” Salazar said. “We even delivered a baby in August, a seven-pound, one-ounce baby girl.”

Abrazo Surprise Hospital is a satellite of Abrazo Arrowhead Campus. Stephen Garner, chief executive officer of the Surprise and Arrowhead facilities, noted the synergies between the hospitals and community benefit they offer.

“Whether it’s fractures, lacerations or illness, what sets our hospital apart is the capability of extending care beyond the ER to the operating room, or admitting patients to our inpatient unit for lower acuity medical conditions,” he said. “If additional care is needed for a more complex condition, our sister hospital can offer seamless transition for higher-acuity patients. It’s about providing the right care in the right place.”

For information on services available at Abrazo Health hospitals, visit AbrazoHealth.com.