SYLVANIA TOWNSHIP, OH (WTOL) - Mercy Health's new freestanding emergency room in Sylvania Township opened Monday morning.
The building used to be the site of Central Elementary School at the corner of Central Avenue and King Road in Sylvania Township.
The $14 million dollar project had been under construction since November 2014.
The Mercy Health Sylvania Medical Center is 18,000 square feet. It will operate like a normal ER, with staff specializing in strokes, heart attacks, respiratory distress, head injuries, abdominal pain as well as spots and orthopedic injuries.
"[Patients] can get in and get out easy from the emergency room and be able to get the same level of care they would be expecting in a hospital with diagnostic center attached to it as well," said Mercy President and CEO Dr. Imran Andrabi.
Other features of the facility include:
- 12 exam rooms
- Short-term observation beds
- Full-service outpatient lab
- Mercy Imaging Services
- Helipad for Life Flight transport
The ER will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
"It's really an extension of the work we've been doing in our hospitals, going into the community without necessarily having a hospital at the site. Being able to have access for the community so they can get in and out easily from the emergency room," said Dr. Andrabi.
Operating a freestanding ER generally also costs less than one connected to a hospital. But will that translate to lower bills for patients?
"I think what it will do is make the experience of care much better, make access much better and ultimately have lower costs compared to what you would expect to see in the traditional health care system," said Dr. Andrabi.
The past is connected to the present here too.
A memorial garden honors the legacy of Central Elementary School, including the building's original keystone.
"This is a park setting where people are welcome to come by at any point in time to reflect back on what used to be here," said Dr. Chris Goliver of the center.
The center opened to the public on Monday.
