Mercy proposes $12.7M facility in Perrysburg

An artist's rendering shows Mercy's proposed $12.7 million emergency and diagnostic center planned for Perrysburg. A hospital will not be connected to the project. Enlarge

In a move intended to fill suburban health-care needs and expand its network, Mercy plans to open a $12.7 million emergency services and diagnostic center in Perrysburg by the fall of 2013.

The center is to be open 24 hours a day and is to provide hospital-quality emergency care, said Andrea Price, president and chief executive officer of the health-care network. She told The Blade's editorial board about the plan on Monday.

The facility, which has the working name of Mercy Emergency and Diagnostic Center, initially is to be 15,000 square feet. It is to be near the entrance ramp of State Rt. 25 (Dixie Highway) to northbound I-475/U.S. 23. Access to the facility would be from Eckel Junction Road.

Ms. Price said plans for the new facility have been in the works for about a year. It would be a first for Mercy but not for its parent company, Catholic Health Partners.

"Most communities want the same care they get at a hospital in their community," she said

The center is to treat typical emergency-room issues but not handle outpatient surgeries.

Patients needing more extensive care would be transferred to a Mercy hospital.

The $12.7 million cost includes the purchase of land, which would give Mercy ample room to expand if needed, Ms. Price said.

Perrysburg is an ideal location because its population is increasing and it is central to Mercy's hospitals, she said. Construction is to begin this fall.

The center's 12-acre site is in the process of being rezoned and needs a special-use permit from the city.

Public hearings are scheduled for the next few months for the zoning and special-use permit, said Thomas Arquilla, senior vice president of business development for Mercy.

Perrysburg Mayor Nelson Evans said the center is a welcome addition to the community because it will generate good jobs. It also might spur development, he said.

"I know there's a few hoops to jump through yet as far as planning commission, and the zoning hasn't been finalized yet," Mr. Evans said. "We're looking forward to the jobs and even the potential offshoots that may occur as a result of that — further development, as far as any doctors' facilities or anything along those lines."

Said Ms. Price, "Perrysburg is a key community in this metropolitan area."

The need for an emergency-services center in Perrysburg has existed for some time, and Mercy is filling a gap in the community, said Dr. Chris Goliver, a Mercy employee who is medical director of Life Flight and Life Star.

Dr. Goliver is to be the facility's medical director.

"The only difference [from a typical emergency room] is we will not have a hospital directly behind us," he said.

Mercy anticipates the center would serve about 6,000 people in its first year of operation.

The center would create up to 40 jobs, such asdoctors, nurses, and technicians.

ProMedica, the other large care provider in the Toledo metro area, provides diagnostic and radiology services in Perrysburg at its Perrysburg Medical Center, 1601 Brigham Dr., according to a statement from spokesman Tedra White. That facility, just across I-475 from the planned Mercy facility, does not provide emergency services. She had no comment on the Mercy facility.

Contact Kris Turner at: kturner@theblade.com or 419-724-6103.