>>> COMING UP NEXT ON ALASKA AZ HORIZON.

MUCH-NEEDED BED SPACE AT A MAJOR ARIZONA HOSPITAL.

>>> AND MAYOR WOODS FILLS NEWS ON PLANS FOR THE HISTORIC HAYDEN FLOWER MILL.

>>> AND THE ASU SPACE COLLECTIVE IS GIVING BUSINESS AS NEW WAY TO CONNECT.

THAT'S ALL AHEAD ON ARIZONA HORIZON.

>> GOOD EVENING, WELCOME TO ARIZONA HORIZON.

I'M CHRISTINA ESTES IN FOR TED TED SIMONS.

A BIG ANNOUNCEMENT FROM UNDER SENATOR KIRSTIN TODAY, SHE SAYS HER POLITICAL APPROACH IS NOT WHAT AMERICAS WANT RIGHT NOW.

AND WENT ON TO SAY, QUOTE, BECAUSE I CHOOSE STABILITY, UNDERSTANDING, LISTENING AND WORKING TOGETHER TO GET STUFF DONE, I WILL LEAVE THE SENATE AT THE END OF THE YEAR.

POLLS SHOW THE SENATOR TRAILING.

HER DEPARTURE FOR THE RACE SETS UP A TWO-WAY BATTLE BETWEEN GALLEGO AND LAKE.

>>> GOVERNOR HOBBS REVIEWED HER VETO STAMP ON THE ARIZONA BORDER INVASION ACT PASSED ON A PARTY LINE VOTE BY REPUBLICANS.

THE BILL WOULD HAVE MADE IN A STATE CRIME TO ENTER ARIZONA ANYWHERE FROM MEXICO.

IN VETOING THE BILL, HOCKS SAID, QUOTE, THIS BILL DOES NOT SECURE OR BORDER, WILL BE HARMFUL FOR COMMUNITIES AND BUSINESSES IN OUR STATE AND BURDENSOME FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL AND THE STATE JUDICIAL SYSTEM.

SHE ALSO SAID THE BILL WAS LIKELY UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND WOULD HAVE LED TO COSTLY LITIGATION.

FROM OUR GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE KARI LAKE THAT HAS WITHDRAWN HER CHALLENGE TO THE LOSS IN 2022, LAKE'S LAWYERS WITHDREW PAPER YESTERDAY OF HER NOTICE TO APPEAL A LAWSUIT SEEKING TO ALLOW HER TO REVIEW BALLOT ENVELOPES OF 1 MILLION MARICOPA COUNTY VOTERS.

NO EXPLANATION WAS GIVEN FOR THE WITHDRAW.

>>> VALLEY WISE HEALTH RECENTLY RE-OPENED 15 PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL BUDS THAT HAD BEEN SHATTERED DUE TO STAFFING SHORTAGES.

TODAY DOZENS OF BUDS REMAIN UNUSED BUT VALLEY PLANS TO GRADUALLY RE-OPEN THEM.

JOINING US TODAY IS THE SENIOR VICE-PRESIDENT OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH FOR MARICOPA INTEGRATED HEALTH SYSTEM VALLEY WISE, AS WE CALL IT.

THANKS FOR COMING IN.

>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

>> SO IT'S A BIG DEAL HAVE THESE 15 BUDS BECAUSE THEY'RE VERY IMPORTANT.

TALK ABOUT FIRST -- 15 BEDS BECAUSE THEY'RE VERY IMPORTANT.

TALK ABOUT WHO THESE BEDS ARE FOR?

INSIDE WE DO THE COURT-ORDERED MENTAL HEALTH EVALUATIONS IN MARICOPA COUNTY AT OUR THREE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CENTER, MESA, MARYSVILLE AND THE MAIN ROOSEVELT CAMPUS.

SO THESE ARE INDIVIDUALS WHO SOMEWHERE IN THEIR LIVES, FAMILY MEMBERS, LAW ENFORCEMENT, OUTPATIENT PROVIDERS BELIEVE THEY NEED MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT AND THEY'RE UNWILLING OR UNABLE TO GET IT VOLUNTARILY SO THE LAW IN ARIZONA ALLOWS FOR AN INVOLUNTARY PROCESS.

AND SO WE DO ALL OF THE INVOLUNTARY EVALUATIONS AT OUR FACILITIES.

>> SO THESE BEDS CLOSED A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO DUE TO STAFFING SHORTAGES.

YOU STILL ALSO HAVE OTHER BEDS AT THE MARYSVILLE LOCATION THAT NEED TO BE RE-OPENED.

WHAT DID YOU DO IN ORDER TO, I GUESS, GET PEOPLE -- THESE ARE TOUGH JOBS.

>> THEY'RE TOUGH JOBS, AND THERE'S A LOT OF COMPETITION.

ESPECIALLY FOR THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH TECHNICIAN ROLE BECAUSE IT'S A -- KIND OF AN ENTRY-LEVEL JOB AND THERE'S A LOT OF JOBS IN OUR LABOR FORCE THAT ARE IN THAT SAME PAY GRADE, AND SO WE DID HAVE TO RAISE OUR PAY GRADE SOMEWHAT.

WE GOT SOME MONEY THROUGH THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT FROM COVID THROUGH MARICOPA COUNTY, AS WELL AS THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE, TO ALLOW US TO DO SOME -- WHAT WE CALLED A SILO PROGRAM, SIGN ON AND RETENTION BONUSES.

SO THAT REALLY I THINK JUMP-STARTED THIS FOR OUR RN JOBS AND BHB JOBS.

>> SO RETENTION IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS SIGN-ON.

AND SOME PLACES DON'T GET THAT.

SO THE SIGN-ON AND RETENTION BONUSES, THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE GOING TO CONTINUE?

BECAUSE YOU STILL HAVE -- I THEY WE DID THE MATH, AND IT WAS 54 BEDS THAT ARE STILL AVAILABLE.

>> CORRECT.

IT WAS MEANT TO BE AN EXTRA THREE-YEAR PROGRAM SO THAT WE HAVE SIGN-ON AS WELL AS RETENTION.

AND SO WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO PAY THOSE RETENTION BONUSES TO STAFF MEMBERS WHO NEED THE CRITERIA IN TERMS OF HOW MANY HOURS THEY WORKED IN A GIVEN YEAR.

>> WHAT DOES THE PROCESS LOOK LIKE IN ORDER TO HIRE SO THAT YOU'RE ABLE TO OPEN THOSE REMAINING 54 BEDS?

>> IT LOOKS GOOD.

YOU KNOW, IF IF YOU ASKED ME A YEAR AGO WE DID NOT HAVE THIS MUCH OPTIMISM, WE'RE TARGETING SEPTEMBER AS OPENING SOME ADDITIONAL BEDS AT MARYVALE, AND THEN THAT MAY LEAVE US A YEAR FROM NOW.

>> WHY DID YOU SAY YOU WERE NOT OPTIMISTIC A YEAR AGO?

>> WE HAD THE MONEY BUT TE WASN'T HAPPENING, WE WEREN'T GETTING ENOUGH PEOPLE INTO OFF-SET THE PEOPLE THAT WERE LEAVING.

THE LAST SIX MONTHS OR SO WE'VE REALLY HER A MUCH BETTER PERCENTAGE OF HE SUSTAINING THAN WE HAD BACK THEN.

>> LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR PARTNERSHIP WITH CLAYTON UNIVERSITY.

HOW IS THAT HELPFUL?

>> WELL, IT'S EXTREMELY HELPFUL BECAUSE WE GET NURSING STUDENTS.

WE GET MEDICAL STUDENTS THAT DO THE ROTATIONS IN OUR FACILITIES AND SO SOME OF THOSE NURSING STUDENTS COME TO WORK FOR US AS NURSES.

WE GET SEVERAL OF OUR PSYCHIATRIC RESIDENTS THROUGH THE CREIGHTON MEDICAL SCHOOL.

SO IT'S JUST A WIN/WIN FOR EVERYBODY INVOLVED.

>> VALLEY WISE HAS A NEW FLAGSHIP HOSPITAL THAT WILL BE OPENING VERY SOON.

AND JUST AS -- THIS IS NEW AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO TAXPAYERS BECAUSE IT RELATES BACK TO SOMETHING THAT TAXPAYERS APPROVED BACK IN 2014, RIGHT?

>> CORRECT.

THE PROP 480 WAS A BOND -- WAS A PROPOSITION THAT PASSED IN THE NOVEMBER 2014 ELECTION THAT THE VOTERS OF MARICOPA COUNTY OVERWHELMINGLY SAID YES TO, TO ALLOW VALLEY WISE HEALTH KNOWN AS MIHS AT THE TIME, TO DO SEVERAL THINGS.

TO BUILD A BRAND-NEW MEDICAL CENTER, WHICH IS NOW IS GOING TO OPEN NEXT MONTH, TO EXPAND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, WHICH WE BOUGHT THE MARYVALE HOSPITAL IN 2018 AND OPENED IN '19 AND TO EXPAND OUR BURN CARE AS WELL AS OUR RESIDENCY PROGRAMS.

WE TRAIN PHYSICIANS OF THE FUTURE.

SO WE REALLY HAVE DONE ALL OF THOSE THINGS AND MANY MORE.

>> SO THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ASPECT, OBVIOUSLY THE MARYVALE LOCATION, YOU'VE GOT 54 BEDS THROAT?

>> 192 TOTAL -- IN MARYVALE, WE'VE GOT 54 LEFT OPEN.

>> AND THROUGHOUT THE SYSTEM, ONE LOCATION IN MESA, ONE CENTRAL PHOENIX AND ONE WEST PHOENIX.

>> CORRECT, SO THAT'S 412 TOTAL.

>> AND TALK ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO DO THESE JOBS.

BECAUSE I JUST -- AS I SAID, IT'S A TOUGH GIG.

I MEAN, -- >> I MEET WITH ALL OF THE NEW EMPLOYEES IN THEIR FIRST WEEK AND JUST MET WITH SOMEONE LAST WEEK AND KIND OF ASK THEM, YOU KNOW, CAN EVERYBODY DO THIS JOB, AND THEY ALL OVERWHELMINGLY SAY NO.

AND I SAID IT'S NOT ABOUT THE PAY, I'M GUESSING.

SO WHAT IS IT?

AND SOMEBODY ONCE TOLD ME, ONE OF OUR NEW HIRES SAID IT WAS INNER REWARDEDNESS, MEANING THAT FEELING THAT YOU GET WHEN YOU'RE DOING SOMETHING SPECIAL AND MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN PEOPLE'S LIVES.

THAT'S WHAT MAKES PEOPLE DO THIS WORK, AND THAT'S THE KIND OF PEOPLE THAT WASN'T TO HIRE.

>> WELL, WE DEFINITELY NEED THEM.

SO THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT.

AND THANKS FOR COMING IN.

GENE CAVELLE, SENIOR VP AT VALLEY WISE OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH.

>> THANK YOU FOR.

♪ .

>>> THE ICONIC HAYDEN FLOWER MILL IN TEMPE WAS BUILT IN 1918 BUT IT'S BEEN IN SEASON SINCE 1998.

NOW LOCAL DEVELOPERS HAVE PLANS TO REVITALIZE THE AREA WHILE PRESERVING ITS HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE.

SOMETHING CORY WOODS HERE TO TELL US MORE ABOUT WHAT'S AHEAD.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING IN.

BEFORE WE TALK ABOUT THE FUTURE, LET'S TALK ABOUT THE PAST FOR FOLKS WHO BE AREN'T THAT FAMILIAR WITH THE HAYDEN FLOWER MILL.

TALK ABOUT THE HISTORY, THE SIGNIFICANCE.

>> SO THE HAYDEN FLOWER MILL IS PRETTY MUCH THE MOST ICONIC SITE IN THE CITY OF TEMPE.

IT'S WHERE, OF COURSE MILL AVENUE GETS ITS NAME IN THE FIRST PLACE.

THE SHI'ITE BEEN IN A STATE OF DISREPAIR FOR -- THE SITE HAS BEEN IN A STATE OF DISREPAIR FOR QUITE A FEW DECADES.

I THINK NOW WE HAVE THE PERFECT PROJECT AS A COUPLE OF OUR RESIDENTS CALLED IT, WHEN THEY CAME FORWARD FOR A PUBLIC HEARING WE HAD, WORKING WITH TWO GREAT DEVELOPERS, JOHN GRAHAM FROM SUNBELT HOLDINGS AND LORENZO PEREZ.

THEY HAVE A GREAT IDEA HOW TO REVITALIZE THAT SITE WITH LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES, LOCAL RESTAURANTS, EVENT SPACE ALL WHILE PAYING TRIBUTE TO WHAT THE MILL MEANS TO THE RESIDENTS OF THE STIFF TEMPE AND ITS GREAT HISTORY.

SO I'M -- THE CITY OF TEMPE AND ITS GREAT HISTORY.

I'M REALLY, REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IT.

>> WE'RE SHOWING SOME OLD PHOTOS.

HOW SIGNIFICANT WAS IT TO TEMPE AT THE TIME?

WE'RE TALKING 1918 WAS BUILT.

THAT WAS TEMPE, RIGHT?

VERY, VERY SIGNIFICANT TO A LOT OF THE RESIDENTS IN THE CITY OF TEMPE.

WE ALSO HAVE A VERY ACTIVE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMUNITY IN OUR CITY.

ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS THEY'VE TALKED TO ME QUITE FREQUENTLY IS WE CAN MOVE FORWARD AS A COMMUNITY AND MAKE SURE WE'RE MEETING THE NEEDS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING IN THE YEAR 2024 AND BEYOND BUT HAVE TO MAKE SURE TO PRESERVE THE HISTORY THAT WE HAVE.

BECAUSE ONCE IT'S GONE, IT'S GONE.

WHATEVER WE CAN DO TO PRESERVE HISTORIC STRUCTURES AND OF COURSE THE STORIES AND MEANING THAT COMES ALONG WITH THEM, IT'S CRITICALLY IMPORTANT TO OUR HISTORY AND HOW WE GOT HERE AS A COMMUNITY.

WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THIS PROJECT, BUT EVEN MORE EXCITED TO BE PRESERVING THAT VERY IMPORTANT HISTORY.

>> WHY ARE THESE TWO DEVELOPS, IN YOUR OPINION, THE RIGHT -- TWO DEVELOPERS IN, YOUR OPINION, THE RIGHT SIT IN IT WAS OUT THERE, IT SAT EMPTY FOR A LONG TIME.

WHAT MAKES THEM RIGHT?

THE PROVEN TRACK RECORD THAT THEY BOTH HAVE DONE.

JOHN GRAHAM, MARINA HEIGHTS COMPLEX ON RIO SOL ADA BOULEVARD WHERE STATE FARM REALLY IS, IT'S AN ICONIC STRUCTURE THAT REALLY TRANSFORMED THE LANDSCAPE AND TEMPE AND THINK ABOUT ALL OF THE WORK THAT LORENZO PEREZ HAS DONE, TRANSLATING THE OLD B THEATER SITE INTO SOUTHERN RAIL AND THE WORK THAT HE'S DONE WITH LUCY AT THE ORCHARD AND THE WINSOR.

ALL OF THE PROJECTS THAT HE'S DONE, I THINK HE'S PRETTY MUCH ARIZONA'S FOREMOST EXPERT WHEN IT COMES TO THE GAP OF REUSE.

SO WITH THE COMBINATION OF THOSE TWO PEOPLE, THEY KNOW HOW TO GET THINGS DONE, THEY'RE VISIONARIES.

I THINK IT'S ABSOLUTELY THE RIGHT TIME AND WE'VE GOT THE TWO RIGHT PEOPLE TO GET THE PROJECT ACROSS THE FINISH LINE.

>> WE HAVE SOME RENDERINGS, SKETCHES OF WHAT'S TO COME AND WHAT PEOPLE ARE ENVISIONING AT THIS POINT.

>> YEAH.

IT'S FAIRLY SUBSTANTIAL.