Healing gardens have become a popular amenity at hospitals, and Banner Gateway Medical Center is picking up on the trend with its new Women’s Garden – a half-acre lush respite that sits directly outside the hospital’s maternity wing.
“Areas that offer women and their families a safe, serene and comforting environment while maintaining the security and peace of mind in a hospital setting are a major benefit for our patients,” said Becky Kuhn, CEO of Banner Gateway Medical Center.
McCarthy, the general contractor that built Banner Gateway, donated its services for the construction of the garden. The garden includes two eight-foot water features, structural steel shade canopies, benches, chairs, covered playground equipment and lush desert landscaping including Mesquite trees and Agaves. The garden is in a secured area where new mothers can relax with their newborns, while still being monitored by the hospital’s newborn security system.
“Providing this garden was a no-brainer for our team,” said Jeff Clarkson, vice president of healthcare services with McCarthy. “With so many members of our project team living in the vicinity and many still having children – it’s a place that they may very likely enjoy in the future.”
Subcontractors that donated their services toward the development of the garden are Valleycrest Landscaping, Bowman Brothers Concrete, Brown’s Custom Fence, Delta Diversified Electric, CSW Contractors and Schuff Steel. McCarthy and the subcontractors contributed a total of $278,000 toward the total cost of the garden.
Banner Gateway Medical Center opened in Gilbert in September 2007 at the southwest corner of Higley and the U.S. 60. Banner Gateway is a technologically-advanced hospital within a healing environment, designed to transform the patient care experience. Banner Gateway is part of Banner Health, one of the largest, nonprofit health care systems in the country. The system owns or manages 20 acute-care hospitals, long-term care centers and an array of other services including family clinics, home care services, a nursing registry and home medical equipment services in seven states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and Wyoming. To learn more about Banner Health, go to www.BannerHealth.com
About McCarthy
Founded in 1864, McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest privately held commercial construction companies and has been ranked among the top five national hospital construction companies by Modern Healthcare since the magazine began its annual ranking more than 30 years ago. The company provides general contracting, construction management, program management and design/build services for healthcare, education, parking, entertainment, retail, laboratory, biotechnical, microelectronic, and industrial facilities; green buildings; office buildings; tenant interiors; mixed-use; and bridges and highways. McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned. More information about the company is available online at www.mccarthy.com.
