O'Bleness Memorial Hospital, 55 Hospital Drive, already in the midst of a major $23.5 million expansion that began last year, is embarking on another new project, hospital officials announced Friday.
The Cornwell Center for Cardiovascular and Diabetes Care is slated to open in late spring 2005. The facility will include a 5,000 square-foot addition to O'Bleness' main Medical Office Building. Current staff will vacate another 10,000 square feet of that building to bring the total size of the center to roughly 15,000 square feet.
The cost of the project is expected to be between $2.5 million and $3 million.
The center is a response to areas of particular need among Southeast Ohioans: cardiovascular health as well as diabetes, O'Bleness President Rick Castrop said.
The center will feature a catheterization lab, cardiologists, endocrinologists and the HeartWorks rehabilitation program, as well as classroom space for education on assessing risk factors. Similar facilities exist in Lancaster, Ohio, and Parkersburg, W. Va.
Dr. Mitchell Silver, a cardiovascular services specialist who helped in the planning for the Cornwell Center, said that such a facility is vital for a place like Athens.
Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer in our country
Silver said. But interestingly in this particular region of the country the coronary heart disease death rates are twice what they are in areas of similar-sized populations.
This facility will be most helpful in terms of detection and prevention, Silver said, adding the first sign of heart disease is often a heart attack.
One of our big missions will be to do aggressive early detection of disease
find it and treat it aggressively so it doesn't manifest in the complications of the disease
he said.
Dr. Frank Schwartz, an endocrinologist, expressed similar sentiments when talking about diabetes, which does not necessarily occur at a higher rate in Southeast Ohio, but complications are more severe because of a lack of early care.
We have to increase the access to care and intervene sooner in order to prevent the complications
Schwartz said.
The center is expected to generate 20-25 new jobs combined between the cardiology and endocrinology sections.
Despite the economic hardships of many in Southeast Ohio, Castrop said he was confident that O'Bleness can continue to work to provide care for the poor and the uninsured.
We'll make the economics work somehow
Castrop said.
The center is named for Foster B. and Helen W. Cornwell, whose memorial gift of $1.2 million provided the bulk of the funding. The additional money will come from existing hospital funds and recent community fundraising events.
Tom Murray, director of HeartWorks, summed up the excitement expressed by the main participants who helped create the vision for the project. I'm a kid in a candy store
he said.
17
Archives
