Thornton is working to create a health care district around existing clusters of medical providers along Interstate 25, between 88th Avenue and Thornton Parkway.
Mark Heller, redevelopment administer in Thornton, said the plan is opportune, considering the imminent remodel of the North Suburban Medical Center emergency room at 9191 Grant St.
“We know that the hospital has been considering some expansion and improvements, and we think the timing is right for us all to work together to create a healthcare master plan for that area,” Heller said. “We are hoping to work with all the healthcare providers to better plan that Grant Street corridor to attract and encourage more providers to locate there.”
The city plans to partner with the North Suburban Medical Center along with other area medical providers to create a master plan that will unify each business and create a model for expanding services in that area.
Right now, the Center for Spinal Disorders, North Denver Orthopedic Specialists, Mountain View Orthopedics and the Women’s Health Group are all located within that corridor between 88th Avenue and Thornton Parkway.
“Efforts to create a vibrant and thriving heath care district in this area of Thornton, such as the addition of a long-term care facility, would complement and enhance the growth that North Suburban has planned,” said Jennifer Alderfer, president of North Suburban Medical Center. “(It would also) aid in our ability to continue to provide high-quality health care to our community.”
Heller said it is his understanding that the Everest College building at 400 Russell Blvd. will be sold in the next year to another health care company to bolster the proposed health district, although he said he didn’t have specifics.
The area is part of the South Thornton Urban Renewal Plan area, which utilizes tax increment financing to support development. The Thornton Redevelopment Authority owns about five parcels on the proposed district boundaries.
Heller said the economic development department will ask city council for permission to solicit requests for proposals to redevelop the property owned by the authority, and then a master plan will be developed to encourage the growth and development of existing and expanding facilities, as well as independent medical care providers in the area.
“Things like memory care, assisted living, and extended care, as well as various clinic practitioners, are expanding out of the hospital itself to smaller sites,” Heller said. “A lot of health care (facilities) are following that trend.”
In north Thornton, two new medical centers are slated to open in that fashion this fall. Centura Health will open a 10,800-square-foot ambulatory center at 128th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard, and a 6,500-square-foot First Choice Emergency Medical Clinic will open at 136th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard at the end of September.
Megan Mitchell: 303-954-2650, or mmitchell@denverpost.com
