Free-standing, 24/7 emergency departments will be built on the Summa Health Center at Lake Medina campus, which is currently under construction, and in the City of Green, Ohio to complement services offered at the Summa Health Center at Green. The emergency departments at Summa Akron City Hospital, Summa Barberton Hospital and Summa Wadsworth-Rittman Hospital will be expanded to allow for increased capacity and improved patient experience.
Summa’s emergency departments across the system saw more than 227,000 patients in 2009. Summa Akron City Hospital’s emergency department currently consists of 43 beds and approximately 19,000 square feet and was designed to treat approximately 52,000 patients. Treating more than 78,000 patients in 2009, this expansion will bring the number of beds to 75 and increase the area to 84,000 square feet.
The renovated facility will meet current and future patient care needs, including additional capacity and advanced technologies. It also will provide for an enhanced patient experience with private rooms that are large enough to accommodate families and loved ones at the bedside during the care process. The expansion also will include enhanced radiological testing capabilities with two digital radiography units, ultrasound and a 64-slice CT scan unit dedicated to the emergency department. Construction will begin in April 2010.
Plans are being developed to expand and renovate the emergency departments at Summa Barberton Hospital and Summa Wadsworth-Rittman Hospital in order to continue to meet the growing community need for emergency care. Summa also provides emergency services to the community at Summa St. Thomas Hospital, Summa Western Reserve Hospital and Summa affiliate Robinson Memorial Hospital.
The Summa Health Center at Lake Medina, which will open by late 2010, includes outpatient services, a physician medical office building and an ambulatory surgery center. Adding an emergency department will provide comprehensive patient care services for Medina and the surrounding communities. Plans are in development for the construction of both the Summa Health Center at Lake Medina and Green emergency departments, which are expected to open in 2011.
Rounding out its emergency services offerings, Summa announced in late 2009 plans to partner with Giant Eagle to operate nurse practitioner-staffed Fast Care locations in Wadsworth and Stow. In addition, Summa recently purchased an urgent care facility in Fairlawn to provide additional services to people in need of physician provided care.
