Memorial Health to build outpatient facility

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A Union County health and hospital group based in Marysville plans to build an outpatient facility in Champaign County, Memorial Health officials announced Monday.

The proposed $8.3 million, 23,000-square-foot facility would be located in Urbana, according to a Memorial Health press release.

“Our investment in this new facility will give Champaign County residents local access to our expert medical specialists and Memorial Hospital services,” said Memorial Health President and CEO Chip Hubbs. “Increasing numbers of Champaign County residents depend on Memorial Health for medical care.”

Memorial Health estimated it would retain 17 jobs and create 12 new permanent jobs with the new facility, with a total estimated payroll of $2.65 million, the press release states. Construction of the facility would create 50 construction jobs.

“This will give people another choice, or expand their choices (for health care),” said Champaign County Commissioner Bob Corbett. “I think it will be an improvement over what we have now and will make (services) better for everyone who uses them.”

Already in Urbana

Memorial Health already acquired a presence in Urbana through the medical practice of Dr. Steven Polsley, previously known as Family Physicians of Urbana. Now known as Memorial Primary Care|Urbana, providers caring for patients in that group include John Crankshaw, MD; Joseph Metz, MD; and Physician Assistants Rochelle Clark and Danielle Smith. Polsley retired in early 2014. Memorial is seeking to employ additional physicians to this practice and expand services to improve coordination of care. The practice is located at 900 Scioto St.

A letter from Memorial Health to Champaign County commissioners dated Oct. 30 states the new outpatient facility would be approximately two-thirds the size of the hospital’s new Memorial City Gate Medical Center, located at 120 Coleman’s Crossing Blvd. in Marysville.

“More recently, Memorial has initiated efforts to recruit new providers to the (Urbana) practice to meet demands from the community and to improve access for existing patients,” the Oct. 30 letter to commissioners states. “These recruitment efforts, along with increasing pressures from the Affordable Care Act, require the Hospital and the practice to evaluate other space options in order to grow and better accommodate patient needs.”

The letter to commissioners also states, “Our proposed solution is to work with a developer to construct a new building that will allow for the relocation of the (Urbana) practice and the expansion of services.”

The press release does not give a location for the proposed Urbana outpatient facility.

Memorial Primary Care|Urbana is currently located in a 6,600-square-foot building, with 17 employees (11 from Champaign County), with a total payroll of $1.02 million in 2014, according to a fact sheet. The Champaign County auditor’s website indicates no units in the building located at 900 Scioto St. are owned directly by Memorial Health. The address lists several different owners of parcels and units at 900 Scioto St., including: Urbana Physicians Co. An Ohio Corporation; LF Realty Inv. Ltd.; Mercy Memorial Hospital of Urbana; and Mercy Health System of Western Ohio.

Explaining how the Union County health and hospital group’s presence in Urbana came to be, Memorial Health wrote the following to Champaign County Commissioners: “As you may be aware, an affiliate of Memorial acquired the practice Family Physicians of Urbana more than three years ago. Memorial was approached by the practice and did not seek out the practice for acquisition. Only after negotiations with Mercy Memorial concluded did Memorial agree to evaluate the acquisition.”

Memorial Health currently employs 87 Champaign County residents, a fact sheet states. It provides sports medicine services to Mechanicsburg Exempted Village Schools; 12 percent of its inpatient business and 24 percent of its outpatient business came from Champaign County residents in 2014.

In 2014, the combined entity known as Memorial Medical Group provided care for 5,717 Champaign County residents and a total of 13,160 visits, information provided Monday by Memorial Health states. Twelve percent of patients admitted to Memorial Hospital in Union County were from Champaign County.

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