tucson to see construction of medical center for the homeless

A funding campaign has been launched to pay for the construction of a medical respite center that will be especially geared for homeless individuals in Tucson.
Officials with the El Rio Cherrybell Health Center say the estimated $5.2 million center will specialize in providing care for homeless individuals in need of recuperative care after they have been released from the care of a hospital.
As planned, the new facility will go up on the El Rio’s campus in southeast Tucson at 1230 S. Cherrybell Stravenue.
The two-story, 15,000 square foot facility, as designed by Tuscon-based BWS Architects, will also provide outdoor play space and indoor housing for the pets of patients.
In a statement, Marguerite Harmon, chief executive officer of the Catholic Community Services of Southern Arizona, pointed out that “homeless people leaving hospitals and medical centers following surgery or inpatient care have no place to go to recover.”
A lack of a place to heal, added Harmon, often hampers a patient’s ability to recovery, sometimes leading to new sicknesses and even death. 
Catholic Community Services is partnering with the El Rio Center to get the new facility built.
It is anticipated that work on the new recuperative care center could begin sometime in early 2021.

By Garry Boulard

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