A proposed University of Utah hospital in West Valley City has received a big financial boost.

Officials in March announced a $75-million donation from the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation to help fund the construction of the medical campus on the city’s west side. 

Plans call for an 800,000-square-foot complex on 22 acres at 3750 S. 5600 West that will be similar in scope to the flagship University Hospital above the U of U campus. It will also be the first major hospital to serve residents on the west side of the Salt Lake Valley, which university and city officials say has been underserved when it comes to health care services.

“This groundbreaking investment continues the Eccles family’s extraordinary legacy of expanding health care access and education across Utah,” University of Utah President Taylor Randall said.

Construction on the first phase of the hospital is expected to start this summer and be completed in 2028. The second phase should see the completion of at least 100 patient rooms the following year.

“Currently, west side residents drive more than 12 million miles per year to access U of U Health services,” said Bob Carter, CEO of University of Utah Health. “This new campus…will bring top-tier health care closer to home.” 

The hospital will offer numerous specialties, including heart care, orthopedics, pediatrics and women’s health and provide training for students in various medical disciplines.

“We also see this project as key to expanding educational opportunities and helping to address our shortage of doctors, which is five times greater in western Salt Lake County than in other Wasatch Front communities,” Carter added. 

The economic impact of the hospital in West Valley City is expected to be in the millions each year from its construction to the addition of more than 2,000 jobs when it is fully up and running. 

At a current estimated cost of $855 million, it could be the largest capital project in West Valley City history and would put the city on the map as a regional medical-care destination.

“These new state-of-the-art medical facilities will be a wonderful addition to our entire community,” said Mayor Karen Lang. 

The university’s medical center project comes during a busy time for hospital expansion in Utah. Intermountain Health is working with Salt Lake City planners and council members to hash out details of a sizable urban hospital at 800 South and State Street, where a Sears store stood for decades. Intermountain also recently broke ground for a three-story surgical tower at St. George Regional Hospital and an expanded emergency department at Cedar City Hospital. MountainStar Healthcare has been adding services and facilities to St. Mark’s Hospital in Millcreek, including the opening of a five-story patient tower in 2023. λ