Cleveland Clinic Avon Hospital Opens

Cleveland Clinic Avon Hospital – the first Cleveland Clinic regional hospital built in Ohio – will begin welcoming patients on Tuesday, Nov. 15.

The five-story, 212,000-square-foot facility, estimated at more than $161 million, was built onto the north side of the existing Richard E. Jacobs Health Center located off Nagel Road in Avon, Ohio. The new facility features 126 private hospital rooms, in addition to an intensive care unit (ICU), new operating rooms, a cardiac catheterization lab, pharmacy and lab. The health center’s existing emergency and radiology departments were also expanded.

“Avon Hospital marks a historic advance for Cleveland Clinic,” said Toby Cosgrove, M.D., president and CEO of Cleveland Clinic. “This is the first regional hospital we’ve designed and built from the ground up. This is a new kind of hospital for a new era. It incorporates everything we’ve learned about delivering 21st century healthcare.”

As one of the most technologically advanced hospitals in Northeast Ohio, Cleveland Clinic Avon Hospital was built as a patient-friendly “hospital of the future.” All doctors, nurses and clinical staff within the hospital can talk to each other instantly, from anywhere within the hospital, using wireless communication devices. Each private room features an interactive TV that allows patients to directly access their electronic medical record, view educational videos specific to their medical care, and control their room temperature, among other features. With the addition of eHospital, caregivers can monitor the most critically ill ICU patients through a remote monitoring system that allows doctors and nurses to respond to patient needs even more quickly. These new technologies enhance the patient experience, shorten hospital stays, improve patient outcomes and reduce the cost of hospitalization.

As the first-brand new Cleveland Clinic regional hospital, it combines functionality, beauty, innovation and efficiency to create a healing environment that puts patients’ needs first. Patient rooms were tested for optimal work flows and focus groups were encouraged to offer feedback on the design. The hospital was specially designed to accommodate future medical advances and will test new models of care, technologies and electronic solutions that can eventually be applied throughout the Cleveland Clinic health system.

Cleveland Clinic Avon Hospital will offer care in more than a dozen specialties, including cardiology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, general surgery, orthopedics, pulmonology, urology, gynecology, hospital medicine, vascular medicine and vascular surgery. Patients with more complex conditions or needing highly specialized treatments can be transferred seamlessly within the Cleveland Clinic health system.

“For the first time, patients in Lorain County and further west will have access to a full-service Cleveland Clinic hospital close to home,” said Rebecca Starck, M.D., president of Cleveland Clinic Avon Hospital. “As the first hospital connected directly to one of our family health centers, Cleveland Clinic Avon Hospital will help us build on the exceptional care we already provide on our campus, now offering patients the full range of care they need.”

At an opening ceremony on Nov. 10, the new building name – “The Roseann Park Family Tower” – was unveiled as a surprise from Ray Park in honor of his wife, Roseann. The Parks are longtime Cleveland Clinic board members and philanthropic supporters of Northeast Ohio. In support of their family history in the Lorain County area, the Parks are pleased to make this investment and contribution to the advancement of healthcare.

Since the opening of the $93 million Richard E. Jacobs Health Center in December 2011 and the addition of emergency services in September 2012, the facility has grown to become Cleveland Clinic’s highest volume family health center. Each month, the health center has an average 42,000 patient visits and the 24-hour emergency department sees an average of 2,400 patients.

The Richard E. Jacobs Health Center currently employs approximately 500 physicians, nurses and support staff. More than 500 additional caregivers were hired for the new hospital.

For the hospital expansion, Cleveland Clinic worked with Gilbane, Inc., the construction manager of the project. More than 1,200 construction employees worked on the project to date with nearly 684,000 hours logged. Westlake Reed Leskowsky, based in Cleveland, designed the new hospital.

Cleveland Clinic Avon Hospital is hosting a community open house on Saturday, Nov. 12, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The community is invited to tour the new facility, get valuable health information and take advantage of free screenings.

Cleveland Clinic currently has eight community hospitals and 16 family health centers in Northeast Ohio. Other Cleveland Clinic locations in Lorain County include the Lorain Family Health and Surgery Center, Elyria Family Health and Surgery Center, Avon Lake Family Health Center, Avon Pointe Family Health Center, Amherst Family Health Center, Sheffield Family Health Center and North Ridgeville Medical Office Building.