Mercy Health-Springfield nears construction start on new Urbana Hospital entrance

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

Mercy Health - Springfield and other local officials broke ground on the new front entrance to Urbana Hospital on Thursday afternoon.

The new entrance will allow for better patient access, especially for outpatients and patients with limited mobility, and will improve the drop-off and discharge process.

Jamie Houseman, President of Mercy Health Urbana Hospital said the ground breaking will ‘truly’ begin sometime this month.

“We are excited to begin this project,” Houseman said.

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Currently, outpatients must register in the emergency department, which is a set of stairs or elevator ride down from the front entrance. The new entrance will allow patients to enter and register in the same place and better separate outpatients from critical patients.

The new entrance will be covered and have automatic sliding doors to allow for protection from the elements and improved wheelchair access.

“We hope this serves as a sign to the public about the investing we have been doing in the hospital,” Houseman said.

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Mercy Health anticipates all, or most of, the cost of the improvement to be funded by donors and has already raised over $800,000 for the project, Mercy Health said in a statement.

The front entrance improvement follows 2017’s $3 million renovation and service expansion that included; building a 10-bed senior behavioral health unit, investment to bring minimally-invasive robotic surgery to Urbana Hospital, doubling of MRI service capability from two to four days weekly and internal renovations to modernize the facility.

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