Hamilton City Council Supportive of The Fort Hamil

Hamilton City Council Supportive of The Fort Hamilton Hospital

Contact : Amy Bomar or Lori Deaton (513) 585-7200
Date: 12/19/2003

Hamilton--Hamilton City Council heard the details of The Fort Hamilton Hospital's expansion plans at an evening council work session Wednesday, Dec. 17, and expressed support of the project. The Fort Hamilton Hospital previously announced plans to add a two-story building housing a 16-bed state-of-the-art intensive care unit on the second floor, and outpatient and diagnostic services on the first floor. The new building will connect to the Haldimand Avenue side of the hospital just behind the emergency department. The expansion will require rerouting of Haldimand Avenue between Progress Street and Eaton Avenue, creating an "S" shape to route the street closer to Wilson Junior High School. The plans also may change the street flow on parts of Cereal, Progress and Haldimand Avenues surrounding the hospital to make those sections of the streets adjacent to the hospital campus two-way streets. All are now one-way streets. Hospital building planners had previously met with city planners and a representative of Wilson Junior High School to make sure the proposal takes into consideration the needs of local residents and the school. Three variations of the plan were reviewed by the city and school, both of which preferred the plan presented to City Council. "Fort Hamilton Hospital treats more Butler County patients than any other hospital, and it is the city's largest employer. This expansion will bring even better facilities and better access for the care of local residents, as well as create additional jobs and an increased tax base. It's a win-win for the city," explained Hamilton Mayor Don Ryan. This new building is expected to cost approximately $16 million and add 26,000 square feet of space. It will allow the hospital to treat an additional 1,500 critically ill patients each year and expand its critical care capacity by more than 30 percent. Funding is to come from the Health Alliance and local donations. Pat and Donna Carruthers have already announced a $3 million donation towards the ICU. The city and hospital have agreed to seek economic development funds from the State of Ohio. "This was a good meeting and an important step forward in our building plans," said James A. Kingsbury, senior vice president of The Fort Hamilton Hospital and president and CEO of The Fort Hamilton Healthcare Corporation. Construction of this new facility is expected to take approximately 18 months; it is slated to begin next summer and be complete in December 2005. Since 2000, Fort Hamilton Hospital has seen a 50 percent increase in the number of patients it treats each year. The hospital has responded by investing more than $32 million into expansions, renovations, and high-tech equipment. Its most noteworthy recent projects include the doubling of the size of the emergency department, making it one of the largest, most advanced in Southwest Ohio; expanding and renovating the surgery department; adding state-of-the-art radiology equipment; increasing the number of cardiac monitored beds, and adding three new units for inpatient rehabilitation, hospice and general medical/surgical patients. The hospital also invested in an advanced computer integration system that links several systems within the hospital, provides on-line access to test results, and creates a universal medical record accessible with proper authorization throughout the Health Alliance. The Fort Hamilton Hospital is part of the Health Alliance, an integrated health care delivery system that also includes The Christ Hospital, The University Hospital, The St. Luke Hospitals, The Jewish Hospital and the physicians of Alliance Primary Care. To view other Health Alliance news releases, go to www.health-alliance.com/pressroom.