43
Akron Children’s Mahoning Valley unveils new $20M building
BOARDMAN
On Thursday, representatives of Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley cut the ribbon on a new addition to its Beeghly Campus on Market Street.
In a few weeks, the 51,000-square-foot facility will open to patients for the first time. The hospital plans to officially open the newly expanded Building A’s doors July 11.
The $20 million project allows the hospital to consolidate all of its services onto one campus. Currently, some specialty services are based out of an office at St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital on McClurg Road.
Also, the hospital’s pediatric department that now is based out of Building C will move to Building A because it has outgrown its space.
When visitors walk in the front doors, they are greeted by natural lighting, bright colors and whimsical design features. Walls throughout the building are lined with artwork created by local students and photographs taken by hospital staff. The aesthetic aims to put at ease children who might be scared by their visit, hospital officials said.
“I think this is a very family-centered, child-focused facility. I believe as you come through these doors there’s a very warm sense of arrival,” said William Considine, Akron Children’s President and CEO.
The building features 47 exam rooms, which will be used for subspecialty and primary pediatric care. The building also has several support-testing rooms.
The services that will move to Building A are allergy, cardiology, genetics, neonatology, nephrology, neurology, orthopedics, physiatry, plastic and reconstructive surgery, pulmonology, sports medicine and urology. The facility also has a sports-rehabilitation unit.
Considine said the expansion builds on what the hospital started in the Mahoning Valley in 2002 when it opened a cardiology center on U.S. Route 224.
“Having the opportunity to become part of the Mahoning Valley community has really been magical,” he said.
Akron Children’s acquired the Beeghly Campus in 2008. Since then, the hospital has invested $90 million in capital improvements, plus the $20 million for this project, Considine said. Since December 2008, Mahoning Valley community members have donated $21 million to the hospital.
In 2016, the hospital had 100,000 unique visits by patients, officials said. The new building is expected to draw approximately 225 patients per day.