New SCNM Medical Center Opens

As you step into the new SCNM Medical Center, you are surrounded by natural lighting, invigorating airflow, soft colors and materials derived from nature. The sense of calmness and serenity herald the beginning of the healing process, a sacred partnership between doctor and patient in the pursuit of renewed health. Two outstanding architecture firms, (merz)project and Orcutt/Winslow, spent six months interviewing patients, students, staff and physicians, to integrate the evidence-based design elements of the best conventional medical centers with the unique qualities of a naturopathic academic medical center. Our contractor, Kitchell Inc. a 60-year old company recognized as one of the nation’s leading healthcare construction companies, participated in the design and then built the new
Center to the highest environmental standards.

The SCNM Medical Center opened on September 30, on time, on budget, and right on target! For 15 years the Medical Center in Scottsdale trained nearly a thousand SCNM students and served tens of thousands of patients, so what’s different? For starters the Center is nearly twice the size of its predecessor and utilizes this space much more efficiently. Built on the College’s Tempe campus, the Center is in a more central location with great access to Tempe, Mesa, Scottsdale, Phoenix and Chandler. Equally important, this marks the first time in the College’s history that academic and clinical facilities are co-located. Students, staff and faculty can walk from classroom to exam room instead of driving. In addition to eliminating the driving time, the College has a unified and more cohesive campus.

Thanks to insightful recommendations from patients, doctors, staff and students, we created a clinic unique in any naturopathic clinical setting. Hydrotherapy, a core modality in naturopathic medicine and an important component of the European water spas, comprises nearly 30% of the Center. We custom designed a steam area, two saunas (far infrared/radiant), a hydrotherapy/color therapy suite, and two colon hydrotherapy suites.

With all this water, heat and sweating our patients asked for, we included men’s and women’s locker rooms complete with showers. We added a second office procedure and minor surgery room, a prep area and high definition video equipment to record or transmit certain procedures for learning purposes (with patient permission). Intravenous therapies, which play a prominent role in Environmental Medicine, is located in a bright, beautiful space looking out onto gardens, with super comfortable, reclining IV chairs.

The SCNM Medical Center is unparalleled in the field of naturopathic medical education for three reasons: First, we hard-wired electronic medical records (EMR) into the facility; Second, we enhanced student learning by incorporating six classrooms, a clinical library and learning technologies into the patient care setting; and, Third, we combined traditional naturopathic treatments (such as saunas, steam and hydrotherapy rooms) with spaces for contemporary and innovative treatments, including an IV center and minor surgery suite. Thanks to a generous contribution from American Medical Solutions (AMS), one of healthcare’s premiere EMR companies, SCNM became the first naturopathic medical school to switch to electronic medical records. AMS led the way among respondents to a request for proposals from the Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges. When AMS offered to donate the system to the naturopathic school that first adopts EMR we jumped at the generous opportunity.

Drawing upon their experience with thousands of medical practices and dozens of hospitals, AMS spent a year working with our physicians and staff to customize an EMR system for naturopathic medicine. Patients benefit by enhanced record keeping and communication among the Medical Center docs and other healthcare providers. Meanwhile SCNM graduates will be competent in an emerging technology that will soon be the healthcare standard. In addition to serving patients’ health needs, the Medical Center is the primary site for SCNM students’ clinical training. We embedded a host of technologies into the Center to support learning, including six conference/class rooms where students and physicians meet to research and review patient cases.

The College received generous contributions from corporate sponsors to add large LCD monitors, bringing online resources, EMR charts and schedules, and closed-circuit access to patient rooms into every classroom. The opportunity for attending physicians to observe students engaged in patient care (patients can opt in or opt out from being on camera), or students observing practitioners providing care, is priceless. First year students, who in the new curriculum begin their clinical training on day one, also use these resources. Words and pictures can only go so far to convey the Center’s innovations, its beautiful aesthetics and its many environmentally friendly features. The best way to experience naturopathic medicine at SCNM is to visit the Medical Center in person.

To make an appointment, call 480-970-0000.

If you would like a tour of the College and the Medical Center, contact the advancement department at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .