SMOKEY POINT — Two area district hospitals have announced that a new 42,000-square-foot medical facility will soon be taking shape in Smokey Point.
Arlington-based Cascade Valley Hospital and Clinics and Skagit Valley Hospital of Mount Vernon will be partnering on the construction of the facility, which is set for completion in late 2011, administrators said.
The $16.3 million building will be constructed on property belonging to Cascade Valley in the 3800 block of 172nd Street NE.
The facility will feature primary care providers, such as pediatricians, internal medicine, family practice, women’s health and occupational medicine. Specialists will include cardiologists and gastroenterologists.
Additionally, the building will house diagnostic imaging services, such as MRI, X-ray, CT and ultrasound; laboratory services and urgent care services.
A pharmacy will also be included in the building, administrators said.
Ralph Hill, assistant administrator as Cascade Valley, said that up to 30 medical providers could be housed in the space.
The joint project has been in the works since 2008. Despite the current economic situation, Hill said that administrators have confidence that the venture will be successful.
“We’ve really been trying to analyze this very carefully,” he said. “We’ve kept a sharp pencil, making sure we have reasonable costs for the hospital ownership.”
Officials chose Smokey Point because of its accessibility and potential for growth.
“Looking at traffic south of Arlington, we wanted it to be in an area that was accessible to the local area all the way up through Stanwood,” he said. “People would feel more comfortable coming to this location.”
Gregg Davidson, CEO of Skagit Valley Hospital, said that the building will be beneficial to patients of both hospital districts.
“This allows us to bring more providers to the area while sharing the financial burden of the project to best use our capital resources and maximize the benefit to the people of the communities that we serve,” Davidson said.
Clark Jones, CEO of Cascade Valley, said that the Smokey Point building will enhance the services offered by Cascade’s recently completed hospital.
“This new, multi-specialty clinic and our continuing partnership with Skagit Valley Hospital will allow Cascade Valley Hospital to offer additional specialty services to our growing community,” Jones said.
A contractor has not yet been selected to complete the building. The project is slated to go out to bid in December, with a groundbreaking event tentatively scheduled for March 2011.
Architect Andy Hall of Everett-based Botesch, Nash & Hall has been working the project.
The two hospitals have partnered since 2007 through the Skagit Valley Hospital Regional Cancer Care Center at Arlington, which is located within Cascade Valley Hospital.
