As commuters and visitors are first greeted with that wonderful view of downtown Boise and the foothills as they travel east down the last mile of the I-184 connector, a new addition has been there on the north side for the past few years.

And now, it is ready to be fully utilized.

St. Luke’s new Center for Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, located at 2619 W. Fairview Ave., will open its doors to the public Feb. 8 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and will soon after welcome its first patients.

“The wait is finally over!” said Nicole Brown, St. Luke's Center for Orthopedics & Sports Medicine chief operating officer. “It’s really exciting.”

As the Treasure Valley has grown, so has the need for the services that will be provided in the new medical center. No longer will many patients need to visit multiple locations for their care, but it will now be housed in the 230,000-square-foot complex.

“Bringing orthopedic services under one roof will allow a patient to experience their care in one location,” said Dr. Buzz Showalter, system medical director for St. Luke’s orthopedic services. “From the initial office visit through surgery to the final appointment with the physical therapist, our patients will receive comprehensive and highly coordinated care.”

Once fully occupied this year, the Center for Orthopedics and Sports Medicine will include:

• Four floors total; three floors of specialty orthopedic clinic space: pediatrics, foot and ankle, joint replacement, hand and wrist, sports medicine, orthopedic walk-in clinic.
• Indoor/outdoor rehabilitation services.
• Community-based advanced imaging (MRI, CT, bone density, ultrasound, X-ray).
• Outpatient retail pharmacy (set to open later this spring).
• Lab draw services.
• Community-based education and meeting space.
• Ambulatory surgery center (set to open later this spring), including 12 operating rooms and overnight extended recovery space.  
• More than 700 parking spaces, ensuring accessibility for patients and visitors.

First announced in 2017, the project has adapted over the years, battling challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic, to best suit the health needs of the community and those providing care.

“As I think about the opportunity that this center represents … it isn’t just a new building, it’s a new day,” Brown said. “It’s a tool that will enable us to fundamentally transform the way we deliver care. This will bring the full range of services under a single roof — clinics, imaging, surgery, pharmacy. By bringing all that under a single roof, we’re going to have the opportunity to eliminate a lot of the noise that comes along with the traditional health care experience.”

For Brown, there also is an opportunity for St. Luke’s to continue to be a leader in orthopedics not just in Idaho, but nationally. She said having different disciplines and expertise working in close proximity will foster the three C’s: collaboration, communication, and collegiality.

“We will use the center as a strategic tool so that St. Luke’s is known for delivering transformational orthopedic care,” Brown said. “… it  is an asset for innovation.”

From increased use of high-precision robotics to same-day surgery discharge, orthopedics continues to grow at a fast rate. This newest addition is well-equipped to put St. Luke’s at the forefront of that innovation, prepared to adapt and provide the latest and best care.

“Whether it's running, walking, or moving a wheelchair, we want to help people get back to doing whatever type of movement they enjoy, and we invite the community to celebrate this new facility with us,” Showalter said.

-St. Luke's Treasure Valley public relations manager Christine Myron contributed to this story