Hughes General Contractors has joined forces with a group of Southern Utah physicians to quickly create a space where healthcare services can be accessed by local residents. The Riverfront Medical Center, on Riverside Drive in St. George, has been under construction for just six months, but tenants will start occupying the space in May.
As the population in Washington County has grown, so has the need for medical care. Locations for physicians to provide that care have become scarce. Riverfront Medical Center was built to provide a localized center to bring specialists under one roof to provide continuity of care.
“The population of this area is growing rapidly, putting a strain on the existing medical facilities,” said Brent Davis, a partner at Physicians Accounting, developer of the project. “We needed to provide some options outside of the current inventory.”
The three-story, 57,000-square-foot medical center is the result of a collaboration between multiple specialty providers. The physicians, who were previously spread out throughout St. George, understand that there is a convenience for patients by bringing the clinics into a centralized location.
“Patients will be able to visit our facility for back pain and have the option to see an interventional pain specialist, orthopedic spine surgeon or by a physical therapist under one roof. Patients visiting our hearing loss center can also see an otolaryngologist (ear nose and throat doctor) onsite for specialized treatment options. If a patient has been given a prescription by one of our onsite providers, the patient can stop by Fusion Pharmacy and have their prescriptions filled, all in one stop,” said Davis.
The providers, who have specialties in ear nose and throat, audiology, ophthalmology, interventional pain, orthopedic spine and physical therapy are collaborating on what they hope will be a new consolidated method for providing specialized care in St. George. Ultimately there will be three buildings in the commercial development, further developing the consolidated medical treatment concept. Phase One of the project houses Desert Pain and Spine; Southern Utah Ear, Nose and Throat; St. George Eye Center; St. George Orthopedic Spine; FIT Physical Therapy; Advanced Hearing and Balance; and Fusion Pharmacy. The remaining buildings are set for completion next year.
The doctors contracted with Hughes, which presented the option of tilt-up concrete panels. “In addition to tilt-up panels being cost-effective, they are virtually maintenance-free,” said Paul Callister, Southern Utah manager for Hughes. “The owners won’t have to paint the walls or deal with issues like stucco that starts to crack.”
The panels are unique in shape and texture and the thick and thin linear reveals are sandblasted in a variety of patterns to bring depth to the otherwise monotone concrete building. Riverfront Medical Center marks the first of its size privately funded medical office building to be constructed in St. George since 2008.