MADISON TOWNSHIP — Karen McNeil, President of University Hospitals Samaritan Medical Center, hopes the soon-to-be-constructed $17 million outpatient health center will have a significant economic impact on Madison Township.
Construction of the proposed 30,000-square-foot ambulatory health center began Wednesday morning at the 1033 Ashland Rd. site with a ground breaking ceremony. Just after 10:30 a.m., McNeil and four others scooped the first shovels of dirt, officially kicking off the project, which is expected to be complete by spring 2020.
“I’m hoping as there’s additional growth for us and additional people are coming to the market, there will be an (economic) impact,” McNeil said. “For instance, we do have Rite Aid right next door, so that’s kind of a natural connection, it will probably benefit them quite a bit.
“As you have a workforce here, looking for places to eat, places to live, if they are moving to the community, I think it could have a bigger impact on the community.”
At this time, she couldn’t provide an exact number of potential jobs, but said all jobs created at the facility will be “additional, new jobs.”
“There’ll be some entry-level jobs and also some more technical jobs like for lab techs and physical therapists,” she said.
McNeil explained that UH Samaritan was looking for “under-served areas” to expand its footprint when meetings began with Richland County Commissioner Darrell Banks and other officials nearly two years ago. Madison Township, she realized, was a fitting location.
“We are proud of the care we provide at Samaritan, and we are really excited to be bringing it to Richland County, especially to Madison and Mifflin Township, where we know there is a need,” she said.
Services on the medical center’s first floor will include an urgent care, laboratory, radiology, physical therapy and community space for educational needs, including screenings. The second floor will have office suites for specialists and primary care physicians.
Vice president UH Ambulatory Operations Cindy Zelis highlighted the community space Wednesday morning.
“It’s important that we continue to care for our health on aspects of education and prevention, so not only is this serving as a groundbreaking for us to make sure you are healthy when you are ill, but to keep you healthy,” she said.
Dick Hanson, president of UH Community Hospitals, Western Region, called Wednesday a “milestone” and emphasized how this new location will help UH Samaritan to fulfill its mission.
“Our goal at University Hospitals has always been to provide the right care at the right place at the right time, and really that’s what we’re here for, to serve the patients in this community,” Hanson said. “We believe there are a lot of under-served people who need our services here in the community.”
He also noted the hospital will employ local architects and craftsmen for the project.
“We’re looking ahead to when the project is complete and University Hospitals Samaritan Medical Center is open, and our residents will benefit by having access to exceptional medical care,” Banks said. “The University Hospitals Samaritan Medical Center will change the landscape of Richland County… and make Richland County a richer community.”
