Banner partners with UA, Phoenix hospital drops Good Samaritan name

PHOENIX — A Phoenix hospital is dropping its nearly 90-year-old name after it partnered with the University of Arizona this week.

Banner Good Samaritan at 12th Street and McDowell Road is now Banner-University Medical Center Phoenix.

“We all know what Good Samaritan means, but ultimately we wanted the new name to reflect that we are completely aligned with the mission of the university,” Steve Narang, the hospital’s CEO, said.

The hospital originally opened in 1911 and was renamed Good Samaritan Hospital in 1928. Since then, the Good Samaritan name was well-known in the Valley. Narang said it was a difficult decision to change the name.

Narang said the 30-year agreement with UA will help Banner-University Medical Center Phoenix recruit students and add a focus on research.

“We are now in the journey to create the first academic medical center in the fifth-largest city in the country,” he said.