A new division of The Laurel Health Care Company will call Athens County home this fall, creating more than 100 jobs and a higher standard of health care.
The new $15 million joint facility will be called The Laurels of Athens and Maplewood of Athens, Administrator Shaun Gentner said, adding that the building’s expected opening is “tentative for fall of this year.”
Although the building itself has been completed, the new road that will lead to the facility, Columbus Circle, is still being constructed and is projected to finish in October, said Bill Bias, project director and Athens City Council president.
“(Columbus Circle) has been a great frustration,” Bias said. “What goes into road construction can be very time consuming. Right now, we are literally sitting on a $15 million investment (waiting) for it to be open.”
The Laurels of Athens and Maplewood of Athens compose one building licensed to hold a maximum of 124 people, but each specialize in different care and services, Gentner said.
Though The Laurels is a skilled nursing facility that deals directly with “sub-acute care,” such as assisting patients who are discharged from hospitals, The Maplewood is an assisted living facility that focuses on helping residents who are somewhat independent but need some basic supervision in their lives.
Gentner said that a main reason why this retirement center is opening is due to Athens County being approved for a Certificate of Need.
The certificate’s review and approval is required when a new long-term care facility is built and an increase of long-term care bed capacity is implemented, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
After a Certificate of Need is applied for, a decision is generally made within four to six months as to whether there is need for the facility in the area, according to the department’s website.
“It’s nice to bring a facility like this to an area that has maybe been overlooked in the past,” Gentner said. “… I think we can set and live up to a higher standard (of health care) and keep people closer to home while creating a continuum of care.”
Bias is also pleased that The Laurel Health Care Company has chosen Athens as its new home and is optimistic about the 135 new jobs it has created.
“We are very, very pleased to have The Laurel company be the operator of this new facility,” Bias said. “… I do not think that there is a facility in Columbus that compares with this. It is absolutely beautiful."
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