- Details
- By Tribal Business News Staff
- Health Care
GANADO, Ariz. — Sage Memorial Hospital, a new 40-bed facility that will serve Navajo Nation and the surrounding area, is near completion after eleven months of construction.
The new hospital replaces an old facility built in the early 1900s and will provide inpatient and outpatient health care to 23,000 residents from the surrounding communities. The new facility will be twice the size of the current facility, along with apartment-style housing and family units for employees.
On Oct. 4, Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez visited the construction site.
“This new hospital signifies progress and change for Ganado, surrounding communities, and the entire Navajo Nation. Past leaders and community members had a vision to create jobs, revenue, and build a nation, and we are excited to be a part of history in the making,” Nez said in a statement. “New development takes time and requires the collaboration of many individuals to make it a reality. I appreciate all of our past and present leaders, the Sage Memorial Hospital Board, and CEO Melinda White for their commitment and dedication.”
Last November, crews started construction on the new two-story hospital medical office building and on-site staff housing on an 18-acre site west of the current hospital facility. So far, the project has created more than 200 full-time and part-time jobs, most of which are filled by members of the Navajo Nation.
Once Sage Memorial Hospital is in full operation, it will bring 100 new jobs to the Navajo Nation.
The Navajo Tribal Utility Authority and the Sage Memorial Hospital Board of Directors are also working to finalize a service line agreement for utility infrastructure and an access road to Highway 264.
“This is nation building, and we are bringing our people home through the 200-plus jobs that have been created so far,” Nez said in a statement. “Based on the vision and commitment of past leaders, we are carrying that vision forward, and we will soon cross the finish line. The community of Ganado has a great future ahead.”
In August, Nez also approved $1.6 million for a new senior and veterans center in Ganado. Sage Memorial Hospital officials estimate that construction will be completed by September 2023 with full operations beginning in December 2023.
