Creighton University, an Omaha, Nebraska-based Jesuit university that has operated a health sciences program in Phoenix for more than a decade, formally broke ground for a new $100 million, 180,000 square-foot health sciences campus in a major expansion of the area’s only Catholic medical school.
The facility, slated for completion by 2021, will create a home for 900 students, adding first- and second-year professional students to those in their third and fourth years already learning in the field at nearby Dignity St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center.
The project is also the centerpiece of a significant redevelopment project for one of the city’s iconic properties, transforming what was the city’s first retail shopping mall, Park Central.
“Today marks a monumental development in Creighton’s storied history of health-sciences education and a shared step forward in addressing the need for more health services providers to the residents of Phoenix, Maricopa County and all Arizona,” Creighton University president Jesuit Father Daniel S. Hendrickson told a gathering of dignitaries, including Gov. Doug Ducey and Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, during a ceremonial groundbreaking Sept. 25.
“With the Omaha campus and three other Jesuit universities in the United States, the Creighton Phoenix health sciences campus will represent only the fifth comprehensive Jesuit health sciences program in the country and the only one west of the Mississippi River,” Fr. Hendrickson said.
The campus will house a medical school, nursing school, a pharmacy, occupational therapy and physical therapy school and separate schools for physician assistants and emergency medical services personnel.
“I’m so grateful to God for this Catholic University coming to be part of the city of Phoenix and the state of Arizona,” Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted told the gathering. “We trust the Jesus who came not only to heal souls and bring redemption but also to heal bodies is very near with us today.
“May (this building) become a center for students, teachers and doctors imbued with the words of truth who search for the wisdom that guides the Christian life and strive wholeheartedly by Christ as our teacher and divine physician,” the bishop continued in his blessing on the project.
The governor said the expansion comes at a time when the state is facing shortages in a variety of medical personnel, especially those providing behavioral health services in rural areas. In addition, Arizona is seeing an influx of providers from other states under a new program designed to make it easier for public health and safety professionals licensed in other states to work here. Ducey signed the law in April, making Arizona the first state in the country to recognize occupational licenses for new residents.
“We know to meet our growing demand, Arizona needs to grow our supply of health care professionals. And that’s exactly what this new campus will help us do,” the governor told the gathering. “The next generation of health science professionals will be trained right here, and Arizona couldn’t be more excited.”
Ducey also singled out Sharon Harper, president, CEO and co-founder of Plaza Companies, which along with Holualo Companies of Tucson, is redeveloping the Park Central site.
“Leaders like you are invaluable in these types of pursuits,” Ducey said.
In addition to the licensing law, Arizona has a history of keeping medical students from other states post-graduation, a trend that Kate Gallego said would also help address the professional shortage here. She said about 75 percent remaining in Arizona are residency training.
The mayor also praised the values Creighton instills in its students, including compassion and giving back to the community.
Fr. Kevin Dilworth, SJ, chaplain of Creighton’s Phoenix regional campus, spoke of the spiritual side to the medical profession. “We’re training to care about people. It’s not a job, it’s a vocation, and we really believe it’s a ministry – the ministry of Jesus Christ to care for others and their needs,” he said.
Students echoed those thoughts.
“I chose Creighton because I wanted a medical education that extended well beyond the medicine to the whole person, and I have not been disappointed,” said Jaclyn Lundberg, who will graduate next year from the School of Medicine.
That component is among the reasons the Virginia G. Piper Trust provided the lead gift to help financially support the project. “Without your health you cannot do any other charitable activities,” explained Mary Jane Rynd, the Piper Trust’s president and CEO, noting that Piper was a devout Catholic. “This would mean the world to her.”
Others praised the practical advantages of the new campus.
“From a student perspective, it’s really nice to have a home base, a building we can go to interact with each another. Having a space so close to St. Joe’s will serve as a community for a lot of us. I think it will be a huge help for third- and fourth-year students,” said Raveena Khanna, 26, a third-year student from South Glastonbury, Conn.
“It will be a game-changer for the more than 9,000 health sciences students who will call Phoenix home for several years,” added Gallego.
The project will also boost the area’s economy. The Greater Phoenix Economic Council estimates Creighton’s expansion will create more than 250 jobs, $124.5 million in personal income, $12 million in tax revenue and more than $300 million in total economic output.