Bringing Services to One of Fastest Growing Areas in Utah, Intermountain Health Opens New Emergency Department And Surgery Center in Saratoga Springs

Intermountain Health unveiled its new Saratoga Springs medical campus today, celebrating the new satellite emergency department of Intermountain American Fork Hospital as well as the new Intermountain surgical center. 

“This emergency department is a fully functional emergency department equipped with life-saving equipment and trained professionals, much like what you would expect at the emergency department in America Fork,” said Nate Miller, MD, Intermountain Health Saratoga Springs Emergency Department medical director.

“We have access to in-house labs, state-of-the-art imaging facilities, and trained professionals that are right here. Since about 85% of the patients who come to an emergency department end up being discharged home, that just means that the great majority of patients that we will see here will be able to get all of their emergency care and treatment taken care of right here in the community,” added Dr. Miller. “We are an extension of the American Fork Hospital, and we will be giving the same exceptional care here.”

Mayor Jim Miller, Saratoga Springs, also expressed his excitement for the new facility. “The need is out here. We have a large community. We have a lot of kids who, thanks to YouTube, try new things and may need to visit this location frequently. It is a much-needed blessing to our community. The opening of the Saratoga Springs campus is a milestone in Saratoga's history. Thank you for investing in Saratoga Springs.”

“When I look around, I see a whole bunch of potential. I see this as a really cool beginning for the services that are going to be provided here,” said Jason Wilson, Intermountain American Fork Hospital president. “This building will save lives. It will also reduce suffering, reduce time before someone receives care, reduce inconvenience, and it might even reduce traffic on Pioneer Crossing.”

Mike Clark, Intermountain Health Canyons Regional president, said, “About five years ago I was given the opportunity to lead Intermountain strategy to build and enhance our ambulatory surgery centers. One of the first areas that we looked at was Saratoga Springs. We felt like this was a place that we needed to think about having a surgery center. I'm so excited to be here today, five years from those first conversations to be able to celebrate the opening of the surgery center.”

“The interesting thing about surgery centers is because of evolving techniques of surgery, more and more surgeries can be done in an ambulatory surgery hospital more efficiently because you have less overhead and you can have your throughput a little bit faster so the cost of those surgeries can cost less than surgeries that are performed by hospitals,” said Clark. “And that is all part of Intermountain’s strategy to reduce the cost of care for our communities.”

“One of the objectives we have at Intermountain Health is to bring care as close as possible to our communities,” said Sue Robel, RN, Intermountain Health Canyons Region president. “What I'm most proud of is that we can serve here in a way that is making a difference. Many, many years of experience will be coming together here in this facility.”

“We are so excited for what this will bring to Saratoga Springs residents and our communities north and west of Utah Lake,” said Julie Street, RN, nursing manager for the emergency department at the new Intermountain Saratoga Springs campus at the ribbon cutting ceremony. “A huge thank you to our American Fork Hospital leadership, who have been fantastic partners in helping bring this new facility about to ensure that the community has access to the very best care possible.”  

The new medical campus, located at 392 W. Medical Drive in Saratoga Springs, will offer 24-hour emergency care, as well as outpatient surgery, labs, imaging, and other services for one of the fastest growing communities in the state. The emergency department will start seeing patients on Wednesday, November 15 at 6 a.m., and the surgery center will start serving patients shortly thereafter.

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NOTE TO MEDIA: Video and images available upon request