ACH ‘tops off’ expansion project

By Jordyn Grzelewski

jgrzelewski@vindy.com

BOARDMAN

The next phase of a project to expand Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley’s Beeghly campus is set to begin now that steel beams are in place.

The hospital marked the milestone at a “topping off” ceremony Wednesday at the Market Street site. Construction workers raised a beam – signed by hospital employees and others involved in the project – into place, completing that part of the $18.6 million project.

“It’s a day of celebration. These milestones, when you have a chance to participate in them, you just reflect on the important nature of the work we do and the meaningful component of that, and that’s caring for the children of the Valley,” Bill Considine, president and CEO of Akron Children’s, told The Vindicator. “When we can make this kind of investment in our clinical programs, and better the lives of the children we serve, it doesn’t get any better than that.”

Over the summer, workers will install exterior walls. Work on the interior is slated to begin in the fall, and the project is scheduled for completion next summer.

The project includes a two-story, 51,000-square-foot expansion to Building A at the Beeghly campus. It will add 47 exam rooms for both subspecialty and primary care. After construction is complete, the hospital’s pediatrics unit will move from Building C to Building A.

Officials at the event described the expansion as a response to substantially increased demand for the hospital’s services, and as an effort to make those services more accessible to the community.

“Our gastroenterology services have been increased threefold. What we’re doing in sports medicine has increased threefold. Ophthalmology services, again, have increased threefold,” Considine said. “We’re seeing more and more children. Our emergency room is at about 35,000 visits a year now.”

He expressed gratitude for the community, saying, “The culture of Children’s is wonderful. The culture of this community is about caring for others. And when you put all that together, you’ve got a winning combination.”