St. Elizabeth's Hospital
in Edgewood, already recognized for performing more cardiovascular
procedures than any other hospital in Cincinnati, plans to expand its
services, becoming a health and wellness institute over the course of
the next few years.
"We're already known for our cardiac
services and well recognized by independent health grades," says Sara
Giolando, St. Elizabeth's senior vice president and chief strategy
officer. "We're already a strong program, but this expansion will give
an additional opportunity to expand the services that we already offer,
in addition to the clinical research program. This gives patients an
option to try the latest devices and drugs monitored by one of the best
programs, allowing local access to high-tech advancements."
The
new expansion will include two phases. Phase one involves the physical
expansion of the space to create a heart hospital in one central
location. Phase two will add three additional levels to the hospital,
making room for a clinical research institute, universal patient rooms,
additional patient beds, ICU capacity and additional exam rooms. Because
St. Elizabeth is a non-profit organization, $15 million for the first
phase of the project will come from hospital earnings, with additional
funding coming from a capital campaign.
"St. Elizabeth's is
really unique. We typically fund from retained earnings and employee
contributions. I am always blown away to see how many people and
employees give back to the hospital in a form of donation," says
Giolando, who adds that the hospital has the highest contributing
employee system in the region.
Giolando says that the expansion
is about more than physical growth; it's also a move to make more area
residents aware of heart disease and the new resource taking shape in
their backyard.
By Lisa Ensminger
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