Hospital Expansion Delivers More Life to A $20 million renovation to the OhioHealth Dublin Methodist Hospital helps local patients receive excellent care in their community
O By Megan Hageman
OhioHealth’s Dublin Methodist Hospital has been on a mission to create a different kind of health care experience since its opening on Jan. 8, 2008. The hospital combines a commitment to providing excellent care in areas ranging from behavioral health to cardiology and maternity care, with a welcoming, community approach. Sherrie Valentine, the hospital director of obstetrics and women’s health services, explains the logic behind Dublin’s initial design featuring natural light and fewer white walls; a strategic plan built on evidence-based feedback sourced directly from patients. “There is some level of tension and anxiety you’re experiencing when you walk through the front doors of a hospital. Even if the reason is a new baby, you’re still anxious,” Valentine says. “So, the whole environment of this hospital is designed to create a warm and soothing space, not one where it’s very medically oriented.” The draw of this comforting space and patients’ desire to be treated closer to home has led to an influx of new patients, making the need for expansion at the Dublin location evident. Dublin Methodist Hospital’s $20 million expansion commenced in 2018 to make 22 • February/March 2020
room for growing demand and updated service offerings. Maternity Inpatient and Outpatient Additions As a segment of the renovations, a 15bed observation unit was added that connects to the hospital’s emergency room. However, the major focus of the expansion was in the maternity unit. “When we first opened, we opened a brand new hospital, it was a challenge because you don’t know what to expect,” says Valentine. “Within two years we tripled our volume. We started between 700 and 800 births a year, and today we’re at about 3,000.” To accommodate the overflow, eight additional postpartum rooms were designed to make a total of 27, and the hospital’s 10th labor delivery room was added to the second floor. With the growth, Dublin Methodist can now even accommodate patient transfers from neighboring OhioHealth locations. “When other facilities, such as Riverside, are at a high volume pace, we can help alleviate and balance out that volume because we are all OhioHealth and we support each other,” Valentine explains. With this further development of inpatient areas, the clear next step was to advance the women’s health outpatient services as well. Prior to the improvements, services such as prenatal testing were carried out www.dublinlifemagazine.com
