Grand Canyon from Toroweap

Walter O. Boswell Memorial Hospital

The five-story white twin towers of the Boswell Memorial Hospital stand in stark contrast to the White Tank, Estrella, and Phoenix mountains they share in the Valley skyline, dominating the view from Wickenburg to Peoria, Lake Pleasant to Litchfield Park.

The hospital has become the visual and medical focal point for 100,000 persons living in the western Valley of the Sun region.

Although Boswell Hospital offers a complete range of medical specialties to serve its diverse population its emphasis is on acute geriatric care.

Its progressive administration, sophisticated equipment, and ideal location have attracted a distinguished medical staff of more than 170 physicians. Among them are several specialists internationally recognized as authorities in their field.

Various programs for heart attack, stroke, emphysema, and asthma patients have been developed with emphasis on outpatient and home care treatments.

Matching its modern treatment philosophy is Boswell's innovative design. It is the first hospital in Arizona to have all of its nursing units built in-the-round.Each tower contains four nursing units. Like spokes on a wheel, the patient rooms surround the nursing stations on each floor so that every patient is within a few feet of the nurses who care for him. A survey showed this floor plan is both time saving and more efficient. It facilitates the hospital's nursing philosophy of individual patient care.

The revolutionary design of Boswell Memorial Hospital was conceived by Ellerbe and Associates, Architects of St. Paul, Minnesota, nationally known for their inventive approach to the planning of medical facilities. It was executed by the Del E. Webb Corporation with Bricker and Hoyt, A.I.A., of Phoenix, serving as associate architects. It was named to honor Walter O. Boswell (one of the three Boswell brothers who farmed the area before it became Sun City) in recognition of the generous response of the Boswell family to community hospital fund raising efforts.

Community support for the hospital has come in many ways other than just volunteer man-hours. The auxiliary, local civic clubs, charitable foundations, corporations, and individuals have all made substantial contributions of money and equipment.

As a result, Boswell Hospital is one of Arizona's most outstanding, best equipped hospitals for general acute care. All hospital departments such as radiology, intensive care, cardiac care, and others have developed treatment programs and equipment specifically for their older patients.

The hospital's first patients were admitted in November, 1970. Since then, two more floors for patient care were added and plans are underway to double its 200-bed capacity. The hospital is part of a medical care complex that includes an existing medical office center and a planned nursing home. While recognizing the financial aid it has received as being important, Boswell Hospital's “Dedicated to Excellence” motto would not be achievable were it not for the support it receives from the community for which it cares.