Construction starts on USA Health Fairhope center

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FAIRHOPE – A Fairhope medical center that includes a surgery center and medical office building should be complete in about two years following the start of construction in October.

The USA Mapp Campus is being built at the southeast corner of Alabama 104 and Alabama 181.

At a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday, Oct. 19, Owen Bailey, CEO of USA Health, said the facility will provide a needed expansion of healthcare and health education in Baldwin County. He said the center will be within 15 miles of about half the population of Baldwin County.

Bailey said the facility will bring academic healthcare to the area.

“By that, I mean there will be plentiful care, but there will also be education and training and there will be research and new specialists coming to Baldwin County,” Bailey said. “There will also be a focus on this campus toward wellness, prevention and nutrition and we believe this will be a focal point for the entire community.”

The center will include a 50,000-square foot office building with primary care on the ground floor and a full imaging center with CT, MRI, ultrasound, mammography and X-ray facilities. The second and third floors will have spaces for USA specialists. The third floor will also have a demonstration kitchen for nutrition focused classes, Bailey said.

The second building, near Alabama 181, will be an ambulatory surgery center with xix operating rooms and two procedure rooms.

“It is going to be an academic-based campus with clinical care, but also the education and training of the future generations of caregivers and research and clinical trials and new specialties that are represented in this fast-growing county,” Bailey said. “There will be a focus on wellness and prevention and nutrition. You will see that the design of the campus actually reflects those things with water, landscaping, trails, gathering spaces for groups to have classes or sessions.”

The eight-acre site was donated to USA Health by Louis and Melinda Mapp.

He said the Mapps have supported USA Health for many years and have wanted to provide a healthcare center on the Eastern Shore.

“That vision that Louis shared with me on day one has been further evolved into what we’re experiencing today and that’s plentiful care, research, education, wellness, prevention, nutrition and new specialists,” Bailey said.

Bailey said the property was valued at more than $2 million when it was donated.

“This is more than just a gift of land,” Bailey said. “This is a gift of vision and we’re excited to take that baton from the Mapps and run with it. I can’t think of a better tribute to their generosity that for generations to come, people will come to this campus, to the Mapp Family Campus, to receive the best and most compassionate care they possibly can.”

Louis Mapp said they felt fortunate to be able to help the community.

“God has greatly blessed our family and we’re honored to share his blessings with USA Health,” Mapp said.

Fairhope Mayor Sherry Sullivan said the center will provide Baldwin residents with access to specialists who do not now practice in the area and to better access to healthcare.

“Anytime somebody moves to our area, the ask about schools. They ask about healthcare. They ask about public safety,” Sullivan said. “So, today is important to our community because of the growth we’re seeing but because we are setting the bar really high for healthcare in Baldwin County and Fairhope.”

State Sen. Chris Elliott, R-Spanish Fort, said Baldwin County is the fastest growing county in Alabama. That growth includes a 27 % growth in healthcare jobs in the last decade, more than twice the state average. He said the center will help meet a growing need for healthcare services in the area.

“While all challenges, and my commissioner friends will certainly know that it also brings incredible opportunities, opportunities to provide all our residents with increased services and increased access to care and increased access to specialists,” Elliott said.

Construction of the center is expected to cost about $30 million, according to a USA Health statement. The project is scheduled to take about two years to complete. When open, the facility will create about 100 new jobs.