U of U Health opens the doors on new Sugar House Health Center
Nov 19, 2019 02:08PM ● By Spencer Belnap
U Health patient George Brown, City Councilwoman Amy Fowler, and U Health leaders officially open the new Sugar House Health Center. (Photo by Charlie Ehlert/U of U Health)
By Spencer W. Belnap | [email protected]
It’s been years in the making. On the corner of 1300 East and just to the north of I-80 westbound, a new University of Utah Health Clinic has taken shape. Commuters and neighbors have seen the area go from a Shopko and adjacent parking lot, to a giant hole in the ground, to redeveloped streets and new structures. One of the core flagship buildings in this area is the University of Utah Health Sugar House Health Center, which opened its doors to patients and the community in November.
A grand ribbon-cutting ceremony and public open house took place on Nov. 14. Some patients had started using the center on Nov. 4, but this was a chance for everyone to see what was built. Residents from the neighborhood were invited to come see the new center and mingle with the staff. There was also family entertainment with live music and a magician, and mini basketballs were given away.
“Isn’t it nice?” U Health employee Carrie Sherbesman asked. She is a medical assistant for the urology department, having come over from the main U Hospital in October. “It still has that new car smell.”
Sherbesman is excited to be working in the new building and to be closer to her home in Holladay. She was answering questions and showing visitors her department and floor layout. Some of the features highlighted include private rooms and consultation areas designed for more privacy and less HPAA violations, and staff break rooms that have views of the mountain range or valley.
The Sugar House Health Center has five floors and more than 170,000 square feet of care space. It greatly increases the services that the old neighborhood health clinic did not have. Now Sugar House and surrounding area residents won’t have to travel to the University of Utah to receive the care they are used to. Plenty of parking is available, and childcare services are offered at the site as well. Like many places in the neighborhood, the Health Center is a short distance from the UTA TRAX S-line and expanded route 21 bus route.
The new building looks and feels modern. There’s not a lot of the University of Utah red, but more neutral tones of grays and blues. Large photographs and artwork of Utah’s natural landscapes and scenery are hung throughout. In every area they could, large windows were chosen to allow for views of the growing Sugar House neighborhood and the Salt Lake valley. On the top fifth floor is a big area for Rehabilitation Services. As the patients receive care, they are treated with beautiful views and an abundance of natural light.
On the other four floors are various departments and services. The health center was designed to be a one stop shop for patients. The first floor has a pharmacy and urgent care, along with radiology and radiation oncology departments. Women’s health, infusion, and medical oncology make up the second floor. The third level has family practice, pediatrics and internal medicine. There is a mix of departments and specialty services on the fourth and fifth levels, including hematology, cardiology, rheumatology and dermatology. ARUP Laboratories, a national pathology reference clinic, also has a small wing on the top level.
One of University of Utah Health’s core mission objectives is community engagement. The new Sugar House Health Center marks the 12th center embedded in a neighborhood somewhere along the Wasatch Front. To find out more about the center and its services and to schedule appointments, visit sugarhouse.uofuhealth.org.
