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Akron Children’s opens Warren site
howland
Akron Children’s Hospital continues to grow in the Mahoning Valley with the grand opening of the Warren Pediatrics facility.
“This is our first location in Trumbull County, but it won’t be our last,” said Shawn Lyden, executive vice president for Akron Children’s Hospital.
The hospital is growing throughout the area, and its Boardman hospital saw 26,000 patients last year, he said. Officials expect that number to rise to 30,000 in a few years. The Boardman hospital opened in 2005.
At all seven of its locations in the Mahoning Valley, Akron Children’s saw 75,000 children, Lyden said. The Mahoning Valley makes up 10 percent of its work force. The new facility has allowed the Warren office to expand by two service providers and more than double the number of examination rooms, said Dr. Gary Backner.
“Our goal is to see every child the same day we’re called about a problem,” he said. “Twenty exam rooms makes that a lot easier to do.”
The new site also nearly doubles the amount of space for the practice as well from 5,500 square feet to 9,500, Dr. Backner said.
Being connected with Akron Children’s also is a benefit for patients. The doctors at the site still have privileges at the Trumbull County hospitals for minor issues. They have access to the hospital in Boardman for more-serious incidents, and for major problems, families can take a 50-minute drive to the main hospital in Akron, he said.
The pediatrics practice was formerly known as Pediatric Care Associates and has 18 years of history helping patients in Trumbull County, said Norm Christopher, head of pediatrics for Akron Children’s.
“We’re happy to support this practice and what it gives to the community,” he said.
The Warren site already has seen 10,000 patients this year, Christopher said.
The new facility and expansion should “make it a lot more efficient for patients,” Dr. Backner said.
“We have to thank Akron Children’s for their support in building this state-of-the- art facility,” he said.
The Akron Children’s Hospital’s Warren Pediatrics facility is at 5000 E. Market St. in Howland Township in a former IGA grocery store.