“The competition results in choices for the consumer… It raises the bar for all providers (including independent ones),” said Budd Wagner, vice president of marketing and communications for Franciscan. “It’s really about having the right services close to home.”

Following initial delays on the hospital planned for Gig Harbor North, the project has been moving along and is on track to open in early 2009. The hospital is moving through the city of Gig Harbor’s regulatory process, including design review and rezoning. The construction bid was awarded to Sellen Construction Co. of Seattle, and groundbreaking is expected in April.

In addition to the 80-bed state-of-the-art St. Anthony hospital, Franciscan’s campus will include a medical office building, planned to open at the same time. FHS is in the process of identifying physicians interested in relocating or establishing secondary sites there. The building is expected to be 60,000 to 100,000 square feet, depending on demand.

“We expect to have every specialty represented (in the medical building) except obstetrics,” said Cliff Robertson, chief medical officer for the Franciscan Medical Group, which has 35 specialty and primary care clinics in Pierce, Kitsap and King counties. Obstetric services will not be provided because the hospital will not deliver babies.

Due to a shorter construction period, the Franciscan medical building will not break ground until late this year or early 2008.

In the meantime, construction is in full swing for a MultiCare medical complex in the West side of the city. MultiCare Gig Harbor Medical Park will open in June, and include an urgent care, day surgery center, a women’s spa and health center, a sleep center as well as a satellite of Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital that will offer urgent care for children’s minor injuries and illnesses. The facility is located across the street from the building formerly known as the 4700 Point Fosdick Plaza, where MultiCare currently has several providers. Last year, MultiCare moved its urgent care clinic out of the Point Fosdick building to a nearby location, following an expired lease. All those health care practitioners, including the Urgent Care clinic, will move to the new building. In addition, the equivalent of 50 new full-time jobs will be created. MultiCare has already started recruiting for a variety of positions ranging from medical receptionists to nurses.

“Our plan with the Gig Harbor Medical Park is to put all our services under one roof in one location,” said Todd Kelley, MultiCare spokesman. “We think it gives the community a one-stop shopping for their needs; these are services the community requested.”

The Point Fosdick building has been renamed last fall to St. Anthony Medical Building, and a month later Franciscan opened its own urgent care clinic in the space vacated by MultiCare. Wagner said the primary rationale for opening the clinic was to better serve existing patients after hours, as well as to serve a growing population.

Franciscan has been operating a sleep center, a dialysis center, and specialty care in the building, and plans to relocate its family practice group there from Kimball Drive this summer. Wagner said Franciscan has been the second-largest tenant in the building, and they asked the building owners if they would consider renaming it in recognition of the fact that Franciscan is becoming a prime tenant. An administrative office was also added in December to provide support for recruitment and the two facilities in progress.

Also certain to be impacted is Harrison Medical Crnter in Bremerton. Harrison CEO Scott Bosch simply commented that, “While competition will bring potential problems for Harrison, it also brings opportunities. Competition will just make us better.”

Both Franciscan and MultiCare officials said they believe there is enough demand for all the new health care choices in the area. Robertson said there is not only demand currently, but healthcare planning is also different from any other business — they plan for the next 50 to 100 years instead of the immediate future. Kelley said, “I think the community will be well-served by having choices.”.