Best community to move to in northern AZ (Flagstaff, Sedona: rentals, home)

[MortonR]

Originally Posted by Alexia1997

MortonR why is NAH not very popular in the community right now?

NAH had pushed the medical community around in the area for years. They've made a habit of buying out independent practices and have essentially cornered the market for a lot of specialties. As a result, practitioners have left the area, making the "depth" of a lot of disciplines really shallow - and as a result pushing lead times for appointments out to months, for example.

NAH has developed plans for a new "campus" south of Flagstaff at Ft. Tuthill, a large, County-owned area near the airport. Nothing has been determined as to what will happen to the existing hospital. NAH wants to create this "health campus" under the guise of needing more room and larger, more modern facilities. This is a legitimate need, as the existing hospital has outgrown its current location as well as the buildings and facilities being old and outdated.

The whole project has sort of been shoved down the community's throat, without what appears to be a lot of thought given to some of the long-term effects of this move. For example, their new campus will require that the City build a new fire station and equip it to accommodate the new facilities. This will cost the City (and taxpayers) millions of dollars for just this one requirement - NAH is paying little to nothing towards these added costs that would ultimately be born by the taxpayers. Same with a bus line to the campus - this will add cost to the City's bus line - again, another cost absorbed by the taxpayers.

I could go on and on, suffice to say the locals are not having any of this and have now gotten a referendum on the ballot of this fall's local election to deny the zoning for the campus until more community engagement can take place to better understand what we're getting out of the deal.

And to give you an idea of NAH's attitude, they've challenged the referendum in court (unsuccessfully, I might add) because they're getting their feet held to the fire, so to speak, and will have to respond to the community's concerns about what they're doing and what it's going to cost us.

Lots and lots about it in the local media. I suggest you get a subscription to the AZ Daily Sun and follow along. I've compared it to a situation where a sports team owner wants the local community to build them a big stadium - while contributing little to nothing themselves - and the community gets stuck with all the ancillary costs that go with it for things like infrastructure.

I would encourage any locals with more details about the situation jump in and share their thoughts and observations. I'm not against a new hospital, I've used the current facilities and it's clear they need to be updated/upgraded and expanded. However, NAH's approach to this has been pretty heavy-handed in my opinion, and it's begun to p*ss off those of us whom NAH expects to pick up the tab for all the related costs in the community while they're making money.

I would also suggest that you talk to your peers in the medical community and see what they have to say. The doctors and other people in the local health care community I've spoke to that will say something don't seem to be happy with the idea. A number of them wouldn't say anything, I presume due to fears of retribution.

RM

[Alexia1997]

Morton R I'm sorry to hear this.

[MortonR]

I would expect this to be a common topic of discussion amongst any medical professional in the area. Have you spoken to any practitioners in the area?

RM

[Alexia1997]

I have and this topic wasn't mentioned. Maybe because they were recruiting and want to paint a rosy picture?

[MortonR]

Originally Posted by Alexia1997

I have and this topic wasn't mentioned. Maybe because they were recruiting and want to paint a rosy picture?

That would make sense. Better do your due diligence. There’s a lot of unrest in the medical community over NAH and the way they control things here, at least that’s what I’ve heard.

I would be curious to hear what you can find out if you speak to practitioners privately.

RM

[Alexia1997]

On a lighter topic, what's the best snow car or truck for there?

[MortonR]

Most common cars here are Subarus with various SUVs like Tacomas. Then it’s pickup trucks.

That said, any car or vehicle with decent ground clearance and AWD (ideally) or a set of good snow tires will get you around with no trouble. I have “regular” sedans as well as SUVs, and they all do just fine. If you want to go to the SnowBowl you’ll need chains, and there can be times when the interstate closes due to the snow, but that doesn’t happen a lot.

The City does a good job clearing major roads quickly, as well as major arterials. Side streets can take a day to get cleared depending on the depth of the accumulation.

You’ll be fine with just about anything, especially if you have front wheel or all wheel drive. Get a set of snow tires and Bob’s your uncle.

RM

[Alexia1997]

Thanks MortonR. You've been a big help!

[MortonR]

Originally Posted by Alexia1997

Thanks MortonR. You've been a big help!

You're welcome, glad to be of assistance.

Please report back what you hear from your peers regarding the current state of the medical community in the area. NAH is so much of the "elephant in the room" for a lot of providers they won't speak openly about what's going on.

I would also encourage you to join the Flagstaff Reddit. It's very useful and has a lot more activity than here, so you're far more likely to get a response to your questions there and from a lot more people with direct experience in the area.

Good luck!

RM

[CosmicWizard]

Originally Posted by MortonR

The whole project has sort of been shoved down the community's throat

Typical corporate bullying ... where taxpayers are responsible for the COSTS, and the corporate entity rakes in all of the profits.