In response to the increased demand for healthcare in southern Arizona, University of Arizona physicians have expanded their services to a nearby Tucson hospital.

The UA Departments of Surgery, Neurology and Urology of University Physicians, Inc., have opened specialty clinics at University Physicians Hospital at Kino, offering services ranging from hernia repairs to breast biopsies.

Dr. Hugo Villar, a professor of surgery who helped lead the expansion to Kino, said the hospital provides space to increase the Department of Surgery's faculty and clinical services.

In June, University Physicians, Inc., a medical practice group for UA physicians, signed a lease with Pima County to take over Kino Community Hospital, after the hospital suffered financial losses.

As part of a two-phase plan, UPI plans to re-establish Kino, located at 2800 E. Ajo Way, as a full-service hospital/outpatient treatment center and to educate future physicians.

"The two commitments are to re-establish this facility and train more health professionals," said Norm Botsford, executive director of University Physicians Hospital at Kino. "There are very few physicians practicing here: we are trying to bring more physicians and more patients."

Botsford said the hospital recruited two general surgeons, Dr. Amy Waer and Dr. Jennifer Tittensor, both assistant professors of clinical surgery, who are now practicing at Kino's renovated operating rooms.

"It's a great opportunity to start something new," Waer said. "We are starting from scratch."

Waer, who has been at the hospital since its inception July 1, added that UPH at Kino has the "latest and greatest" state-of-the-art technology, including laparoscopic equipment and a 16-slice spiral CT Scanner in radiology.

In addition, the two new operating rooms include diagnostic equipment used in minimally invasive procedures, such as a digital mammography unit.

"There's a lot of new stuff in the operating room, and the clinic is also very nice," said Tittensor, who has been at the hospital for a month.

Botsford said parts of the hospital were reconstructed to increase clinic space.

"We have basically taken a clinic facility and we made some changes in the physical plant to better serve the needs of the patients," said Botsford. "We've done work to upgrade some of the facilities."

Along with establishing the hospital, University Physicians will work on educational outreach and research, converting 70 acres of land surrounding UPH at Kino into facilities for the Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Public Health and Pharmacy, Botsford said.

"The possibility of becoming a part of a nationally and internationally recognized healthcare community is fantastic," said Carol McIntyre, executive assistant for UPI at Kino. "Working with some of the best healthcare experts in the world is something most people just dream of."

According to the UPH at Kino Web site, UPI physicians have cared for patients at Kino since 1985. Outpatient clinics include the UPI Adult Health Center, Children's Center, Eye Care and the Women's and Family Health and Resource Center. The expansion opens new programs in audiology, surgery, neurology and urology.

Physicians and staff at the new hospital hope UPI at Kino can become a leading health institution in the future.

McIntyre said employees are all working together toward the same vision because it's "something we believe it."

"Things are getting busier," said Tittensor. "I just hope that the changes will keep coming and it will turn into a full-fledged hospital."