BVHS announces new medical campus

FINDLAY — There's a clear and simple idea at the heart of Blanchard Valley Health System's new healthcare campus, debuting for patients soon just off of Interstate 75 near County Road 99, and it's found in the name of the facility. Wellness Park, a connected, multi-building project totaling almost 80,000-square feet in exam, laboratory, rehabilitation and medical office space, was conceived as a way to provide multiple functions in service of patients' healthcare, all in one central location. "We want to focus on wellness, and give people a positive experience," said Myron Lewis, president and CEO of Blanchard Valley Health System. "You're coming to Wellness Park, on Wellness Way, you think, 'Hey, I'm going there for my health.'" Located at 3401 and 3411 Wellness Way (which was Technology Drive before being recently changed), the campus is made up of two multipurpose buildings connected by a covered walkway. One building, 3411 Wellness Way, will house Endocrinology & Diabetes Specialists of Northwest Ohio, including the Community Glucose Monitoring Project, and Rheumatology Specialists of Northwest Ohio, in addition to new primary care physicians' offices. These practices will begin taking appointments at Wellness Park on Dec. 16. The other building, 3401 Wellness Way, will contain the Julie A. Cole Rehab & Sports Medicine and Blanchard Valley Orthopedics & Sports Medicine practices, which will host a plethora of new treatment options and capability. The facility will have a gymnasium, distinct adult and children's rehab areas with equipment for occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy and behavioral health therapy, and podiatry, sports medicine and laboratory and imaging (X-ray) spaces. These practices will begin holding appointments at Wellness Park on Jan. 6, 2025. The existing practices are fully migrating to Wellness Park — the old locations could be utilized in other ways by BVHS, Lewis said, but the idea is consolidation, to add convenience for patients and to lower costs for the health system. "It creates a lot more efficiency when there's one registration area for a bunch of providers, for example. We only have roof to manage," Lewis said. The campus' dozens of exam rooms can be turned into offices or other spaces temporarily if needed, and certain areas in the buildings will be strictly for doctor's offices and accompanying stations located close to where other healthcare professionals will work, to promote a collaborative, connected atmosphere. The decision to move certain practices to Wellness Park was made partly because they had run out space to expand their services. "We really did have a need for space, we outgrew our current locations," said Kelly Shroll, chief operating officer-ambulatory services. "We didn't have a specific pediatric area before, for example." As mentioned, Wellness Park will feature a number of new services in addition to the practices moving there. The outpatient laboratory and imaging services will be available for any patients needing that work completed, and the pediatric rehabilitation area features many modern conveniences adapted to kids, like a climbing wall, a calming room for those who've become overstimulated, and shorter cabinets and countertops for kids undergoing occupational therapy. Primary care physicians are also being recruited for Wellness Park. Shroll said BVHS recognized a local need for more primary care doctors. "We have an aging population, and at the same time there's a national shortage of physicians," she said. Some new medical professionals have already been hired and are preparing to start their careers with BVHS at the new facility. "Eighteen physicians and advanced practitioners are coming right away, and we expect to have about 25 physicians and advanced practitioners when we're fully-staffed, by year three," Shroll said. There should be about 150 associates total working at the new campus once it is fully-staffed, according to current plans. Three years of planning, a year of construction BVHS began purchasing the buildings that would become Wellness Park in 2021. The campus has been home to various tech companies over the years, and its most recent tenant had been ADP before being purchased by BVHS. "2021 was when we began planning, through 2023," Shroll said. "Last year was when we did our cardboard mockups, and we started construction at the beginning of this year, so it's been a one-year construction effort." The idea has been to make a modern, state-of-the-art health campus that could attract future BVHS physicians and staff members, and to move healthcare into one centralized place. "We wanted to improve access to care in our community and recruit more primary care physicians, provide new services, in a state-of-the-art facility, and it lowered our cost of care by combining locations, it was much more efficient to build it here," Lewis said. "With the open space at this location, we were able to architect exactly to the patient care we're able to provide." BVHS staff members participated in a mock-up mimicking how the interior space of the buildings would be laid out, complete with fake cardboard computers, chairs and desks. This allowed the people who will work at Wellness Park to make suggestions for final layout of workspaces they'll utilize every day. "The mock-up was excellent, because they could visualize what it would be," Shroll said. "We made several modifications to the plans (after the walkthrough). And we had everyone from physicians to frontline medical assistants in here, so everybody came out and had specific recommendations for us." "There are hundreds of things to think about. 'Oh, that door's going to hit this,' or 'that shouldn't go there, it should go over here.' In this way, our associates helped to design and build the space," Lewis added. The future There is more than 10,000-square-feet currently in place for future expansion of the campus — "shelled space," as it's called — and room set aside in the imaging area for future equipment additions. "As we grow it gives us the ability to expand," Lewis said. "Having everything under one roof allows us to consolidate some of our other office locations and use this space — it gives us some opportunity to move other things here. "We're very excited about it," he said. "We need some new jobs, and we're increasing access to care. We're investing in the community." In addition to the new physicians being recruited for Wellness Park, dozens of other jobs will open in support of the campus' healthcare goals, and volunteers are needed to help patients navigate the large new space. For more information on volunteer opportunities, call 419-423-5342 or visit bvhealthsystem.org/volunteers. The Blanchard Valley Health Foundation will also be requesting community donations via a capital campaign to help fund the construction, expansion, accessibility and technological advancements of the campus and the health system's other major projects, like the hospital's new Acute Rehabilitation Unit and the expansion of The Armes Family Cancer Care Center. To assist BVHS in its investment of $140 million into the community, a release states, the foundation has received commitments of $13 million to this point, and is looking to a $20 million goal for the campaign. "The generosity of the community has been humbling and overwhelming," said Karen George, chief development officer at Blanchard Valley Health Foundation. "These improvements will help BVHS deliver better health outcomes for those who live and work here. It will take the entire community to support this landmark vision."