Cleveland Clinic Mentor Hospital on schedule for July 11 opening
Jun. 21—Dr. Richard Parker, president of the new Cleveland Clinic Mentor Hospital and Hillcrest Hospital, is excited about the opening of the health care system's first full-care facility in Lake County on July 11.
"Except for an act of God, we will open on July 11 and on budget," Parker said.
Located off state Route 615 at Norton Parkway near Interstate 90, Cleveland Clinic Mentor Hospital is on schedule to open its doors to patients in early July.
Parker is pleased with the Cleveland Clinic's presence in Lake County and ability to handle some of the patients that would otherwise be sent to Hillcrest Hospital in Mayfield, Euclid Hospital or the main campus in Cleveland.
Mentor Hospital will be a state-of-the-art facility offering Lake County residents enhanced access to one of the nation's top healthcare systems, he said.
The modular design of the hospital will allow for flexibility to meet the health care demands of today and tomorrow, the clinic stated in a recent news release. The hospital will provide inpatient, outpatient and emergent care.
Parker stressed the natural light that is available throughout the facility, particularly noticeable in each of the private rooms on the second floor.
As Cleveland Clinic's first hospital in the county, the new facility will expand the health care system's services and care for Lake and Geauga County residents and help address increasing demand.
Mentor Hospital features 34 inpatient/observation rooms, 23 outpatient rooms, 19 emergency department beds, four operating rooms and 12 pre-/post-anesthesia care beds.
Services will include bariatric surgery, cardiology, general and colorectal surgery, vascular surgery, urology, pulmonary medicine, orthopaedics and sports medicine, lab and imaging services.
According to Parker, the facility is 97 percent staffed and Hillcrest doctors will also staff at Mentor Hospital.
Expansion is planned, but it cannot open up toward the wetlands.
There is a helipad on the hospital campus and Parker stressed its importance while also explaining that it will not be a hindrance to local residents.
"I look at it as saving lives, saving breaths, saving hearts and if it is a little bit of noise, I don't think it is all that big of a deal," Parker said.
