Valleywise Health Foundation was recently awarded a $3.2 million grant by Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust. This pivotal grant is in addition to a $2.5 million unrestricted Piper Trust Now is the Moment Grant in 2021, and $500,000 from the Trust in COVID-19 response funding in 2020, supporting Valleywise Health, Maricopa County’s public teaching health system.

The Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Pavilion will serve as a new learning and teaching hub at Valleywise Health’s Phoenix campus at 24^th Street and Roosevelt. Clinical education will be housed on three dedicated floors of the six-story 106,088 square-foot facility in addition to administrative services and community meeting space for up to 300. The Piper Pavilion is part of the health system’s Care Reimagined program to renovate and rebuild its aging facilities and is adjacent to the new 10-story Valleywise Health Medical Center, opening in October 2023.

“While Valleywise Health is widely recognized for its clinical training, much of the applied learning was conducted in off-site or aging facilities,” said Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust President and CEO Mary Jane Rynd. “We are proud to support the state-of-the-art Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Pavilion, a place where healthcare professionals will learn, grow and connect to improve health and wellness in Maricopa County.”

Valleywise Health and its partners in the Creighton University Arizona Health Education Alliance – Creighton University, District Medical Group and Dignity Health St. Josephs’ Hospital and Medical Center – have partnered to address the healthcare provider shortage in Arizona.

“With our partners, Valleywise Health is committed to building one of the premier graduate medical education programs in the nation,” said Valleywise Health President and CEO Steve Purves, “Approximately 70 percent of physician residents will stay and practice in the communities where they train. The new Piper Pavilion will play a key role in our efforts to train more medical professionals for Arizona.”

“Clinical knowledge, research technology and treatment methods continue to evolve,” said Valleywise Health’s Chief Clinical Officer Michael White, MD. “A leading-edge training and learning environment will help us teach clinical decision-making skills in a 21^st Century healthcare setting.”

The $3.2 million investment from Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust will support training for more than 3,500 physician residents, nursing and other health program students annually, as well as ongoing professional development for more than 2,000 clinical staff.

“We are incredibly grateful for this milestone gift that will positively impact the health of Maricopa County for decades to come,” said Valleywise Health Foundation Board Chair John Hoopes. “The commitment of Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust to support organizations that enrich health, well-being and opportunity for the people of Maricopa County is evident across the Valley. This direct investment in facilities to train tomorrow’s healthcare providers to serve communities and healthcare systems throughout the region and improve access to care for vulnerable communities is a gift of immeasurable worth.”

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