ProMedica's Oregon hospital on schedule; rehab unit open

Steve Volpe, in an exercise room for recovering patients, is director of Total Rehab, a wing of the new ProMedica hospital.

Construction of the ProMedica hospital in Oregon is on schedule and officials say they expect to move into the 70-bed facility sometime in November.

Bay Park Community Hospital is on a 50-acre site just off I-280. It is bordered by Curtice Road on the south and Brown Road on the north. The hospital will take up 200,000 square feet. By comparison, ProMedica-owned Toledo Hospital covers about 653,000 square feet.

In addition to the hospital, which is three stories tall, ProMedica is constructing a three-story attached medical office building.

The site could eventually include other medical facilities but nothing definite has been decided, ProMedica officials said.

Outpatient rehabilitation services opened yesterday. The rehab program will provide services that include physical therapy, occupational therapy, sports rehab, and speech therapy, said Steve Volpe, director of Total Rehab. Program officials anticipate serving about 15,000 patients in its first year.

ProMedica expects to spend $80 million to build the hospital and office building, including the cost of medical equipment and supplies in the buildings.

Doctors and other staff members plan to move into the office building during the next year in anticipation of the opening, but the hospital will open all at once, said Terri McLain, president of Bay Park Community Hospital.

She said finding employees to staff the hospital will be a challenge because the health care market is so tight, but she said that won't delay its opening. The hospital and office building initially will employ about 250 people, growing to 400 when it's fully staffed. Some employees are expected to transfer from other ProMedica facilities, but many will be new hires.

Bay Park will compete with the nearby 386-bed St. Charles Mercy Hospital, owned by ProMedica competitor Mercy Health Partners. Ms. McLain said there's room for both hospitals.

“Response from the community has been very positive,” she said. “The community is excited about having another choice.”

The Bay Park Community Hospital is one of two hospitals ProMedica is building. ProMedica is constructing a 62-bed hospital in Defiance, which is expected to open in 2002. ProMedica owns the existing hospital in Defiance.

ProMedica bought more than 130 acres in Maumee and 25 acres in Perrysburg, but officials said they haven't decided what type of medical facility to put at either location.

In addition to owning Toledo Hospital and Flower Hospital in Sylvania, ProMedica owns hospitals in Adrian, Tecumseh, Fostoria, and is one-third owner of the Lima Memorial Hospital. ProMedica said last week it is discussing affiliation with Providence Hospital in Sandusky.