Sahuarita Times: Carondelet Unveils Design of New Health and Wellness Pavilion

Beginning late next year, patients and families visiting the Carondelet Health & Wellness Pavilion in Sahuarita will feel as if they’re entering a Spanish mission. With a façade that emphasizes both history and beauty, architects have designed a contemporary building that blends the needs of an advanced medical practice and community gathering place suited to Sahuarita’s pedestrian-oriented Town Center.

The 14,000 sq. ft. medical practice will be located along Desert Gem Road, just south of Sahuarita Road. Clay tile roofs, stone exteriors, turrets and a decorative pergola are a nod to the 17th century Spanish Colonial architecture that once dotted Southern Arizona’s landscape. The pergola is especially significant to the building’s design; its roofline mirrors that of a local orphanage established by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in the 1870s. While that chapter of the Sisters’ service lives on only in historical diaries, it was important to Carondelet to draw upon its century-old legacy of serving Southern Arizona while furthering its commitment as a leading provider of healthcare to residents and families along the I-19 corridor.

“The Carondelet Health & Wellness Pavilion is a model of healthcare for a modern age. People expect and deserve convenient, comprehensive care for everything from routine check-ups, to treatment of unexpected illnesses and management of their chronic conditions. This unique venue will meet those needs now and possess the structural and programmatic flexibility to grow its onsite services as the community around it grows,” said Carondelet Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Christen Castellano.

Inside the pavilion, patients will find a welcoming lobby complete with a glass-enclosed children’s play room, family waiting room, and a second, separate waiting area for individuals and seniors looking for a quieter environment. In the evenings, these lobby areas can serve as a gathering place for educational classes, wellness workshops and health screenings by Carondelet. The entire building will have wireless connectivity, and an area of the lobby will be set aside as a docking station for patients to stay connected while waiting for their appointments.

The clinical environment includes 27 exam rooms in three independent pods, one of which will be dedicated to pediatric patients. Nine physicians, specializing in internal and family medicine and pediatrics, will call the pavilion home. The facility will not only meet the needs of patients during traditional office hours, but provide Express Care for immediate medical needs after hours and on weekends. Mobile imaging will also be available on site.

Additionally, the pavilion will serve as a satellite location for cardiovascular specialists from the nationally recognized Carondelet Heart & Vascular Institute (CHVI) at St. Mary’s Hospital and neurologists from the Carondelet Neurological Institute at St Joseph’s Hospital. Instead of a trip north into Tucson, Carondelet’s plan will allow for convenient access to these key sub-specialists, and others, at its medical pavilion in Sahuarita.

“Providing on-site specialty care in the community of Sahuarita is an important commitment to Carondelet. That’s why cardiovascular, neurological, orthopedic and OB/GYN specialists will hold regular clinics at this facility,” said Carondelet Vice President of Physician Practices, Tawnya Tretschok. “They will travel regularly to Sahuarita for appointments with local patients. This ensures people who need a higher level of care receive it close to home.” This concept is already working effectively at Carondelet’s Green Valley Medical Plaza, located on Camino Casa Verde.

“Carondelet’s expansion of healthcare in our community will make our family-friendly lifestyle even more livable and convenient,” said Bob Sharpe, founder of Rancho Sahuarita. “The Carondelet Health & Wellness Pavilion is the perfect addition to the Town Center’s schools, shopping, worship centers and municipal services. This state-of-the-art medical facility will serve as an important focal point for the Town, and further Rancho Sahuarita’s vision of being a healthy place to live, learn, work, play and shop.”

Carondelet retained FreemanWhite, Inc. and Diversified Design and Construction to bring its vision to life.  The doctors and clinical team who will use the facility have been involved in all aspects of the design.

Construction on this first phase of the pavilion, a $6.5 million project, is set to begin in January 2014 with completion in November 2014. In an anticipated second phase of construction, an additional 26,000 sq. ft. will be added to the pavilion in the future and used to meet community healthcare needs as Sahuarita and surrounding communities expand.