Centura Health, which already has 12 hospitals in Colorado, announced plans Wed nesday to build an emergency room, imaging center and medical office building in Castle Rock.
The $23.6 million health care complex will bring 24-hour emergency service to the Doug las County town of about 42,000 people. Residents now have to drive to Lone Tree, Littleton or Parker for hospital emergency care.
The emergency center will include a helipad so patients in need of trauma care can fly by helicopter to St. Anthony Central Hospital in Denver, Centura’s level-one trauma center.
Centura bought 50 acres of land west of Interstate 25 near the Meadows community in 2007. This project will take up 12 to 15 of those acres.
Centura executive Brian Moore declined to describe plans, including whether Centura eventually will build a hospital with in-patient beds in Castle Rock.
“The hope is that we can be a catalyst there . . . maybe trigger other projects sitting on the fence,” Moore said, adding that one businessman already is considering opening a restaurant near the Centura property.
Castle Rock Economic Development Council president Frank Gray said the project will bring numerous new jobs to the community. The emergency department and imaging center are expected to employ about 50 physicians, nurses, lab technicians and other staff.
The medical office building will house several family doctors and specialists, mostly in private practice, Moore said.
Construction on the emergency department is scheduled to begin this summer, with the complex opening in fall 2011.
Patients who arrive at the Castle Rock emergency room and require hospital admission will be transferred to another Centura hospital, likely Littleton Adventist or Parker Adventist. About 10 percent of emergency-room patients typically are admitted to the hospital.
The closest hospital to Castle Rock, Sky Ridge Medical Center in Lone Tree, is owned by Centura competitor Health One.
Jennifer Brown: 303-954-1593 or jenbrown@denverpost.com
