Officials: Hospital built to outlast economic slowdown

When planning for the medical center began in 2004, the outlook was much brighter.

Staff photo by Nick Daggy/The main entryway inside the new West Chester Medical Center on Cox Rd in West Chester Twp.

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By Tiffany Y. Latta, Staff Writer Updated 6:48 AM Thursday, April 23, 2009

When discussions of the $220 million West Chester Medical Center began in 2004, it seemed the perfect time to build a health care facility in the growing Southwest Ohio region.

The economy was fair, Warren and Butler counties were among the fastest growing counties in the state and the only hospitals serving the area was Bethesda North, Fort Hamilton, Mercy Fairfield and Middletown Regional, now the Atrium Medical Center.

“This area was growing and demand was increasing for health care,’’ said Ron Rohlfing, vice president of hospital operations.

“With Cincinnati and Dayton gravitating toward a middle ground, the Health Alliance (of Greater Cincinnati) envisioned a hospital in the area at some point.’’

Now, five years later, the hospital is set to open at 7 a.m. May 11 at a time when the economy is faltering, area hospitals have cut departments and staff and many residents are delaying medical treatments.

Rohlfing said the economic downturn forced hospital officials to delay acquiring some technology, but aided in construction and equipment costs because vendors were eager to make deals.

Rohlfing said officials delayed bringing in a CT Scan machine that can more precisely target tumors, but built space for it and designed the hospital to expand in the future by 320 beds.

“Our organization made a major commitment to this community and tried to stay consistent with the original vision,’’ Rohlfing said. “Where we tried to make compromises was in materials ... we tried not to cut out major equipment because the cost of equipment is only going to go up.’’

Hospital spokeswoman Stephanie Savicki said much of the design was the effort of health care officials and the community.

“Early on, we formed a community advisory council that provided input and feedback on numerous things including room design, advertising, billing processes, nursing models of care and community engagement. They were all local people that told us what they wanted to see in a hospital, be it from a business or government perspective, a general consumer’s perspective or from a provider perspective,’’ Savicki said.

“We listened to our advisory groups and our 36 design teams and created an environment that is healing, not only for patients, but for those who work and visit the hospital.”

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