Grow West

Payton was just 5 years old when she fell at school, hitting her head on the sidewalk. Diagnostic scans at the local urgent care showed that what her parents first believed to be a minor scrape was, in fact, a skull fracture and a brain bleed, serious injuries requiring surgery. Payton was immediately transferred from Surprise, where the family resides, to Phoenix Children’s Hospital – Thomas Campus for brain surgery. 

Though she spent nearly 30 days in the hospital—12 days in a coma in the pediatric intensive care unit and time in both inpatient and outpatient rehab to relearn gross and fine motor skills—Payton recovered. She received a cutting-edge new cooling treatment for traumatic brain injury—plus art and music therapy, two programs supported by donations—as part of her care. Even her family, including her two older brothers, were looked after by Payton’s care team, receiving gifts on Easter and getting a chance to go to the Child Life Zone, a unique, state-of-the-art therapeutic space within the hospital where kids can be kids. 

“[They] were incredible,” says Payton’s mom, Brandy. “They continually went above and beyond to help her and us navigate the scariest moments of our lives.” 

The worst has passed for Payton, now 11 years old. The energetic fifth grader loves drawing and singing and dancing and soccer. She’s full of life and curiosity. 

But that doesn’t mean she’s out of the woods yet. A traumatic brain injury is a lifelong condition, and for Payton, this means regular visits to Phoenix Children’s—a 90-minute round-trip drive from the family’s home in the West Valley—for evaluations to make sure she’s meeting critical developmental milestones. If only the level of care that Payton requires were closer to home. 

Thankfully, now it is. 

Meeting a critical need

Phoenix’s West Valley encompasses the communities from Avondale and Buckeye to Wickenburg and Youngtown. Together, the West Valley’s 15 cities boast a growth rate of twice the national average, with more than 1.7 million people currently calling the West Valley home. Over the next 25 years, more than 50% of Maricopa County’s growth is expected to take place in the region, and the pediatric population is expected to increase from 400,000 at present to 500,000 by 2030. 

All this to say, the need for comprehensive pediatric health care in the West Valley is urgent. 

“Over the last 10 years, there’s been massive growth,” notes Jared Muenzer, MD, MBA, chief physician executive at Phoenix Children’s. “We recognize that, and we understand that the world-class pediatric care we provide should be available to everyone, without the burden of having to travel. The question becomes: ‘How do we get closer to home and what parts of our business do we put closer to home?’” 

The answer? A strategic West Valley expansion offering convenient and high-quality options for children in need of urgent and emergency care, specialty care, inpatient care, outpatient surgical care and sports medicine. 

“Phoenix Children’s main campus will always have the ability to do all those things,” Dr. Muenzer says. “But, for example, when children are diagnosed with cancer, those care plans last two to three years. Most of that care can be done in a patient’s own community. Whatever that need is, whatever can be done closer to home, it makes life so much easier for families.” 

The expansion in the West Valley comprises several new facilities in Arrowhead and Avondale, providing a suite of offerings that run the gamut of pediatric health care needs: 

• Availability of radiology, MRI and CT scans
• Intensive care unit capabilities
• 48 inpatient beds  
• Operating rooms open every day of the week 
• Subspecialists for outpatient treatment 
• Sports medicine physical therapy  

“Children with broken arms or those who need stitches, children with diabetes or those who are asthmatics … all these conditions can now be cared for in the West Valley,” Dr. Muenzer says. “Everything you can think of that needs to be done at a children’s hospital, we can do it.” 

Answering the call

Dr. Muenzer says that Phoenix Children’s is always looking forward to what’s next—a future-focused perspective on the region’s population growth and how that translates to its pediatric health care needs. But to propel projections into actions, Dr. Muenzer says it’s all about philanthropy. “We can do things faster, quicker and offer more programs and more support to patients and families because we have the robust engine of our partners and donors,” he says. 

Among these impactful donors are Vickie and Jerry Moyes. 

The couple—high school sweethearts who met in junior high—moved here from Utah in the 1960s, settling in the West Valley where Jerry founded Swift Transportation. He launched the business with a single truck, turning the small company into one of the largest trucking enterprises in the United States. 

During this time, their family grew too. The couple has 10 children, 22 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. The whole Moyes clan lives in the West Valley. Throughout the past six decades, Jerry and Vickie have seen the area morph from vast desert into a metropolitan area with several cities. 

And though the development has been impressive, they feel that it’s also outpaced itself in some ways. “I believe the West Valley has been neglected in a number of areas, whether it’s education or health care,” Jerry says. 

With that in mind, the Moyes family has found ways to bolster the community’s needs over the years, from supporting child welfare and behavioral health programs to helping create safe spaces for children to thrive. 

When Phoenix Children’s launched its $200 million health care expansion into the West Valley, Jerry saw yet another opportunity to help. He and Vickie made a $5 million philanthropic investment into Phoenix Children’s Hospital – Arrowhead Campus, a gift that will transform pediatric care for West Valley children and their families for years to come.

“We wanted to do something that’s important and will benefit children and families for a long time,” Jerry says. “We drive by the new Phoenix Children’s Hospital up there, and we’re very excited about supporting that. We’re excited to see the progress that will bring.” 

Vickie recalls, “I remember it was orange groves—absolutely beautiful orange groves. Now there’s a gorgeous hospital there.” 

The hospital’s Vickie and Jerry Moyes Family Pavilion forever celebrates their deep dedication to investing in the futures of West Valley children—from the health of kids to their quality of life. “It’s very, very important, good medical care,” Jerry says. “But one of the things people don’t think too much about is, it’s not only to have health care, but to have it where it’s not inconvenient.” 

Dr. Muenzer seconds that sentiment: “Our mission is that every child, patient and family get the highest quality of care no matter where they touch a Phoenix Children’s location or provider. From when they initially contact us all the way to discharge, we want that experience to be consistent and world-class no matter where they go.” 

Focusing on what matters

At 11 years old, Payton is compassionate and funny, says her mother, Brandy. Payton can be a little shy as a result of her injury, Brandy adds, but she says that Payton loves people and loves having fun. The effervescent girl she is today, and the enthusiasm with which she navigates the world, owes much to the gift of life given to her at Phoenix Children’s six years ago. 

“Being able to come [to Phoenix Children’s] and get as much care and support as we did was amazing,” Brandy recalls. 

The good news for Payton and her family—and for thousands of other West Valley children affected by life-threatening disease, chronic illness or injury—is now they don’t have to travel far and wide for the transformative power of healing care. Thanks to compassionate donors like Jerry and Vickie Moyes, first-class pediatric care is right here, in their very own ZIP code. 

“What I love most about working at Phoenix Children’s is that there’s potential,” Dr. Muenzer says. “You won’t find an opportunity to grow and develop and deliver this level of care anywhere else in this country. We have the population base, the commitment and the philanthropic support. That potential is palpable.”