The $85 million Northwest Medical Center in Oro Valley is located off of Tangerine near Oracle and spread over 60 acres. Everyone we talked to is excited for this hospital to open it’s doors.

“For all the residents up in this area it’s got to be a huge convenience,” says Joe Arnold.  His wife and four kids live just a mile away.

“I think it’s after 9:00pm the urgent care is closed, so then the only other place, say if it was 11:00pm at night, the little one here would have to take a ride to Northwest Hospital.”

That trip has now been shortened to just two or three minutes.

The Arnolds aren’t the only people benefiting - the opening’s also big for the senior population in Oro Valley.

“The senior population utilizes health care more than the younger generations and so its very important to gear a hospital towards their needs,” says CEO Paul Kappelman.  He says Northwest’s geriatric program and their in- and outpatient rehab program does just that.

From the moment you walk in, privacy is a priority.

“All of the admitting bays have a wall and a door so their business stays private when they are being admitted,” says Betsy Dolan of Northwest Medical Center.

If you need the ER, the emergency department has 18 all-private rooms - and even bigger rooms if you are a trauma patient.  There are 96 inpatient rooms in the hospital, and you won’t have a roommate. All rooms are private and have a great view.

“They allow more room for the nurses to take care of the patients, more room for families and doctors to map out a plan of action,” says Dr. Jacinto Orozco of Northwest Medical Center.

A normal operating room is 550 square feet. The new operating rooms in Oro Valley range from 650 to 750 square ft, giving surgeons much more room to manuever.

You will also notice a lot of art in the hospital.  They spent more than $300,000 on the look.

“The reason we chose to make art such an important design element to the hospital is because studies have shown that bringing nature inside actually aids in the healing process,” says Dolan.

The hospital’s emergency room will open Wednesday January 12.  The rest of the hospital is scheduled to open at the end of January.  It’s already passed an inspection from the Arizona State Board of Health.