Pulse

Ashtabula County Medical Center broke ground June 30 on a new patient care tower. The 115,000-square-foot, multi-story addition will add 55 new private patient rooms, a new Intensive Care Unit, five new operating rooms and 24 new rooms in the Emergency Department.

For the past several years, the Board of Directors and administrative team have discussed the aging condition of many parts of the hospital - reviewing the needs of patients, caregivers and the organization and planning for what the future will look like over the next 10, 20, 30 years and beyond.

Since opening in 1904, the hospital has been committed to responding to the changing healthcare needs of our communities. The planned new patient care tower is another example of that commitment. ACMC has been the healthcare provider of choice for Ashtabula County. The new tower will create an even better environment for our patients and caregivers and will enable us to advance our mission of providing quality healthcare that makes a positive impact on our communities.

New and improved

The new patient care tower will connect to the current hospital on the south side of the building and will give patients and caregivers more exposure to natural light. The new patient rooms will have private bathrooms and showers and will be more spacious and comfortable for families while visiting their loved one. Patients on the east side of the tower will have views of the Ashtabula River. Plans include a new hospital entrance with additional green space.

There will be two separate roadways leading to the new Emergency Department—one for patients and one for Emergency Medical Services squads. Emergency Department patients will have dedicated parking spaces as they do now. The design of the new tower also takes into consideration the flow of patients to provider offices in The Ashtabula Clinic as well as to departments in the current south and north wings of the hospital.

This is the hospital's largest construction project and the first major construction to the Lake Avenue campus in more than 40 years. Prior major construction projects for the hospital were in 1916, 1952, 1963 and 1975. The new patient care tower will further our commitment to advancing healthcare for years to come. It is designed to adapt to new technology and incorporate new equipment as they are developed.

Better for everyone

Teams of ACMC caregivers were engaged to help determine aspects of the design and room layout. Rooms in the new tower are being designed around workflows, not the other way around. New technology was incorporated in the plans that will allow caregivers to spend more time at the bedside with patients. And several additional safety measures—in direct patient care and in everyday operations of the building—were included.

The theme "Advancing Healthcare: Today and Tomorrow" pays tribute to ACMC's past, recognizes the care given today, and promises the future of healthcare tomorrow. To all our communities, we say thank you for entrusting us with your care. We know you have a choice. We are honored that you choose ACMC.

A long history of advancing healthcare in Ashtabula County

• Ashtabula General Hospital—the precursor to ACMC—was the first in Ashtabula County.
• ACMC was the first in Ashtabula County to install an MRI; prior to that, patients had to travel to Erie or Cleveland for an MRI.
• ACMC was the first in Ashtabula County to have an accredited fixed mammography site.
• ACMC was the first in Ashtabula County to use radioactive isotopes in the Radiology Department.
• ACMC was the first in Ashtabula County to provide cataract surgery with an ophthalmic laser.
• ACMC is the only hospital in Ashtabula County with a cardiac catheterization lab.
• ACMC is the only hospital in the Ashtabula County with an inpatient behavioral health unit.
• ACMC's affiliation with Cleveland Clinic provides overnight telemedicine coverage by trained critical care providers for patients in the Intensive Care Unit.

Together, we thrive

Would you like to support this renovation and expansion project or other areas of need? Donations can be made online at acmchealth.org/foundation or by phone at 440.997.6605.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

• Anticipated completion: First quarter of 2024, welcoming patients in April 2024
• 115,000-square-foot, four-story patient care tower
• 55 new private patient rooms, including 10 new ICU rooms
• 24 new emergency department rooms
• 5 new operating rooms
• Relocation of ACMC Wound Healing Center

Categories: Future of care