New medical campus in Colorado serves a growing part of the city of Aurora
As one of Aurora's fastest-growing areas continues to expand, residents of The Aurora Highlands and nearby rural Colorado communities will soon have a new option for emergency and medical care closer to home.
AdventHealth Aurora Highlands is set to open Tuesday, becoming the first medical campus built within the 4,000-acre master-planned community south of Denver International Airport. The $81 million facility is designed to serve a rapidly growing population while reducing travel times for emergency and specialty care.
For ER Nurse Manager Rebecca Duarte, the opening is especially meaningful.
"I think one of the things that's most exciting for me is just seeing Aurora grow," Duarte said.
Duarte grew up in Aurora and now helps lead the new 88,000-square-foot facility, which includes a freestanding emergency room, primary care, cardiology, OB-GYN and other specialty services.
"[Aurora] doesn't have as many primary care providers to patients as some of the other counties in the state, and so bringing this campus here is going to really increase that," Duarte said.
The freestanding ER includes 10 exam rooms, two trauma rooms and a helipad. It also features outpatient imaging services and medical office space. AdventHealth says it is the first of its Colorado facilities to use geothermal energy for heating and cooling, a move aimed at reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions.
Duarte said the state-of-the-art campus is expected to improve care not only for Aurora residents, but also for people in neighboring communities where healthcare options can be scarce.
"There is not a lot of access out there right now, and so having both the primary care and those specialties and the ER, so whatever needs you have, you'll be able to do them here," she said. "And having something closer to home always means better outcomes."
Many of the people preparing to work at the facility also live in the Aurora Highlands.
"I was watching my house get built as I was watching this place be built, and I was like, 'wow, I want to work there, and I want to make a difference in my own backyard,'" said nurse Brittani Mulei.
The medical facility was designed with future growth in mind -- AdventHealth says plans for a second phase would expand the site into a Level III trauma hospital as the population continues to increase. The Aurora Highlands community is expected to grow significantly over the next decade, with long-term projections estimating tens of thousands of more residents.
"Someday we'll be home to 50 or 60,000 people," said Carla Ferreira, CEO of Aurora Highlands. "And having wellness in your backyard is really important. You really want to have short times to the ER."
For Duarte, the opening of AdventHealth Aurora Highlands is an exciting milestone for her hometown.
"Whatever comes, we'll be ready," she said.
AdventHealth Aurora Highlands will officially begin seeing patients the morning of Sept. 29.
