Premier touts opening of Health and Wellness Campus at former Good Sam site

Jan. 4—More than five years after the closing and demolition of the former Good Samaritan Hospital, the site where it previously stood is now home to the Premier Health YMCA, a roughly 50,000-square-foot facility costing more than $18 million.

On Thursday, Premier Health announced they will begin treating patients on Monday, Jan. 8, at the Northwest Health and Wellness Campus within the YMCA at 2649 Salem Ave.

"Today, we celebrate a community-inspired investment in Northwest Dayton," said Mike Riordan, president and CEO of Premier Health. "We made a commitment to the community for the redevelopment of this site and through the collaborative efforts of all project partners, we are taking the next step along this path," Riordan said.

Half of the building, or approximately 25,000 square feet, will be for the YMCA of Greater Dayton, and Premier Health will have almost 15,000 square feet of space. CareSource, County Corp's HomeOwnership Center of Greater Dayton, Goodwill Easterseals Miami Valley, and Wright State University will be additional partners at the site.

Altogether, the partners are expected to employ about 80 people at the new site. The previous hospital had approximately 1,600 employees when it closed five years ago, and the hospital system said they were all offered positions at other Premier Health locations. Most accepted those new positions at different locations, Premier Health previously told the Dayton Daily News.

The YMCA of Greater Dayton will own the building, and Premier Health received naming rights of the building.

"Our board determined many years ago that we would not do anything without partnership," said Dale Brunner, president and CEO of the Greater Dayton YMCA. "It's just so important for us to make sure that we serve the community who's been the mainstay around this community for so many years."

Premier Health, which owned Good Samaritan, closed the hospital in 2018 and demolished all of the structures on the site, except for a multi-story parking garage. Phoenix Next, the community board that is providing guidance on where the project goes next, is working with Urban Design Associates to come up with a reuse plan for the parking garage.

Some still upset with loss of Good Sam

Some community members still mourn the loss of Good Samaritan Hospital and desire more treatment options in northwest Dayton for trauma care and pregnancy services. For them, the new facility isn't a good enough replacement for the hospital.

"That's just an attempt to make something look great to distract people's attention from what they lost," said Rev. Dr. M. Merritt Worthen, former president of the Clergy Community Coalition.

When Premier closed Good Samaritan in 2018, they cited a number of reasons for the decision — that upkeep for the over 85-year-old hospital campus was expensive, that the facility was operating at half its capacity, and that many of the same services were available five miles away at Miami Valley Hospital.

The former Good Sam site is about a 15-minute drive from MVH. But advocates for northwest Dayton said people without access to a car can face a tougher trip. The distance to Miami Valley and wait times in the ER are a couple aspects causing people to delay care, Worthen said.

"An urgent care is a Band-Aid on a gaping wound," Worthen said.

Worthen questioned why Premier Health chose not to put a free-standing ER at that site, but built medical centers in suburbs like Beavercreek. Miami Valley Hospital Beavercreek Emergency Center is also located fewer than two miles from its competitor, Soin Medical Center — Kettering Health. Worthen pointed out racial and economic disparities between areas receiving newer ERs and West Dayton.

There's still space for a free-standing ER, Worthen said, pointing out the older parking garage next to the Premier Health YMCA.

"Nobody's mad about a Goodwill. Nobody's mad about a (YMCA). Nobody's mad about an urgent care, but if you've got the space to save lives in a community that needs it the most, what is your justification for not using your remaining space to give the community what it needs," Worthen said.

Riordan acknowledged the disappointment some of the community continues to feel toward the loss of Good Samaritan. At the same time Good Sam closed, Premier expanded the previous Good Samaritan North Health Center 12 minutes north on the Clayton/Englewood border, turning it into Miami Valley Hospital North.

Riordan said he's been in his role just shy of two years, and when he came on board, he was able to witness the fear, anger, and sadness the community felt toward the loss of the hospital, which had already closed prior to Riordan's arrival.

"I thought it would be odd for me not to acknowledge that today and not to acknowledge the experiences of our community and staff, and to sort of hold that while, at the same time, we hold on to something like today, which is a celebration, so let's hold both of those as we go forward," Riordan said.

There also positive feelings toward the new building, Riordan said.

"No one community is no one feeling," Riordan said, saying there are both feelings of disappointment and feelings of wanting to see this facility grow and move forward.

Previous estimates for the building's cost were $17 million, but the cost eventually increased to $18.1 million. It was paid for through new market tax credits, along with public and private funding.

As for their plans of possible expansion at the site, Riordan said it depends on the needs of the region.

"My hope is that we continue to grow this site," Riordan said.

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Premier Health services at the Northwest Health and Wellness Campus will include: — Miami Valley Hospital Urgent Care. Open to all ages Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with plans to expand hours to seven days a week with evening hours soon. — Miami Valley Hospital Physical Therapy, including comprehensive orthopedic care for both injury and post-operative needs. — Miami Valley Hospital Imaging services, including x-ray and ultrasound. — Premier Physician Network specialty care, The Bull Family Diabetes Center, will see patients and provide diabetes education. — Premier Physician Network specialty care, Premier Cardiovascular Institute, will treat a wide range of heart-related conditions. — Lab services provided by CompuNet Clinical Laboratories. The CompuNet Elizabeth Place service center has relocated to the Northwest Health and Wellness Campus for easier patient access.