Sage Memorial Hospital & Apartments, Ganado, Arizona: Photo Tour

The medical campus serves the rural Native American population with a courtyard hub for social interaction, as well as on-site staff housing to address recruiting and retention challenges in the rural area.

Published: September 1, 2025Posted by Tracey Walker

Bob Greenspan

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Sage Memorial Hospital & Apartments, Ganado, Arizona

National multidisciplinary architecture and engineering firm Hoefer Welker (Kansas City, Mo.) partnered with owner Sage Memorial Hospital (Ganado, Ariz.), a Native American-managed private, nonprofit healthcare system, to provide a new medical campus within the remote area of Ganado.

Due to high patient volumes and a lack of space within the previous hospital, the new campus was designed to significantly increase patient capacity and provide advanced, easily accessible healthcare for the remote area. Additionally, the healthcare system developed an inventive on-site housing solution, addressing critical healthcare staffing challenges.

Serving more than 23,000 residents across 27,000 square miles of the Navajo Nation, the new campus includes a 95,000-square-foot, 25-bed critical access hospital offering emergency services, surgery, labor and delivery, physical therapy, diagnostic imaging, a cardiac lab, a pharmacy, a helipad, a 39,000-square-foot medical office building (MOB) and affordable staff housing.

New hospital campus

The campus blends into the surrounding landscape primarily through the juxtaposition of materials. Specifically, solid materials such as stone tie the buildings to the surrounding monolithic mesas, while the strategic use of glass throughout the campus provides numerous vistas from the interior spaces to the surrounding landscape, maximizing a connection to nature for patients as well as staff.

The building form and orientation are also culturally integrated. The swooping entry to the hospital, inspired by the wing of the bird, and the entry to the MOB both face east, a direction of significance to the Navajo, symbolizing new beginnings. Additionally, local artists were commissioned to provide artwork for the space.

Expanding care services, department capacity

Sage Memorial Hospital draws upon Diné (Navajo) principles of balance, unity and respect. This guided the project’s vision for a space that supports healing, community and a continuum of holistic care.

Designed to enhance efficiency and the patient experience, the new hospital expands service lines in many departments. For example, the first-floor imaging department is significantly improved, replacing the existing mobile MRI trailer with an MRI suite. Other imaging modalities, such as CT, X-ray, ultrasound and DEXA, are also included.

The emergency department’s capacity expansion includes nine exam rooms throughout the department, and vertical windows incorporate a translucent gradient film, ensuring abundant natural light while maintaining patient privacy. Two corridors split the department, separating general and fast-track patient populations. A helipad and pathway connect to the rear of the department, where two trauma rooms are easily accessible.

An obstetrics (OB) department on the second floor includes three labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum rooms. Two flexible patient rooms are located between the OB and med-surg departments with a set of interlocked cross-corridor doors on each end. The interlocking of these doors allows the department boundary to change, enabling these rooms to flex between serving as both additional postpartum rooms and med-surg rooms as department needs change over time.

Addressing the former facility’s undersized surgery department, the new hospital features two larger operating rooms and two specialty procedure rooms, significantly expanding care capabilities. The 460-square-foot operating room serves as the general operating room and includes an additional 90-square-foot alcove for infant resuscitation, providing critical care support for the OB department. The other operating room is even larger at 560 square feet, providing the necessary space to accommodate the additional medical equipment required for complex orthopedic surgeries.

To position the hospital for future growth, an 8,000-square-foot shell space capable of accommodating up to 15 additional inpatient beds is provided on the second floor.

Adding MOB, staff housing services on hospital campus

The adjacent MOB brings together outpatient services, including primary and specialty care, behavioral health, dental care, optometry and a retail pharmacy, improving access to services on one campus. The MOB, while having its own entrance, is also connected to the hospital via a first-floor corridor. An additional shell space physically separated from the MOB outpatient services is provided on the northeast end of the MOB to accommodate future dialysis needs.

To help address staffing challenges common in rural areas, Sage Memorial Hospital prioritized staff housing on the campus. A 27-unit residential building, opened in July 2024, offers a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units, providing flexible housing options for faculty, staff and their families. Space on the campus is reserved for two additional housing buildings to accommodate future growth as needed.

In addition, staff and families enjoy thoughtfully designed amenities, including a 5,000-square-foot clubhouse that fosters wellness, connection and a true sense of community. Complementing this hub are inviting outdoor and recreation features such as a covered grilling area, fire pit, basketball court and a versatile community room.