“Our future is bright. This expansion represents our continued commitment to provide advanced medical care to our community,” said Soin president Rick Dodds.
The build-out of the hospital’s patient tower near the Mall at Fairfield Commons followed the completion of an $8.2 million, 22,000-square-foot addition to Soin’s emergency department last year. The ED expansion added 12 exam rooms, nearly doubling the number from 14 to 26.
Kettering and other hospital networks have been expanding at a rapid pace to accommodate increased demand for routine and discretionary services from a shrinking uninsured population, driven largely by an improving economy and the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and expanded Medicaid in Ohio.
Kettering said it expanded the emergency department at Soin years ahead of schedule to handle heavier-than-expected patient volume. Soin opened as Kettering’s newest hospital in February 2012 as a 70-bed, 276,000-square-foot facility.
Increased demand for medical surgical services led Kettering to invest nearly $9 million to expand the third floor at Sycamore, just west of the Dayton Mall area. The 27,000-square-foot expansion includes 32 private rooms.
“Today is the realization of our dream where we can give every patient in our hospital a private room,” said Sycamore president Walter Sackett.
The hospital improvements also promise to boost employment in the area.
The Soin expansion is expected to create about 45 new jobs, including registered nurses, nurse aids, therapists and support staff, according to Kettering, while the Sycamore expansion could create up to 30 jobs.
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