Dayton Daily News

West Dayton shopping center gets new business

Westown Shopping Center to welcome new clinic for older adults.

- By Cornelius Frolik Staff Writer

Two years after losing ALDI, the Westown Shopping Center is getting a new tenant that is bringing medical services that will benefit older adults in West Dayton.

Chicago-based Oak Street Health is opening a new facility in the former Fashion Club space at 4271 W. Third St. that will provide primary care services to adults on Medicare.

“We’re excited to welcome such an innovator to Westown and to Dayton,” said Emily Waterman, leasing manager for Skilken Gold, which owns and operates the

shopping center. “Oak Street Health is transformi­ng health care with its value-based, managed-care model and serves an important segment of our population.”

Constructi­on is underway on the 12,750-square-foot health clinic, with an anticipate­d opening this summer.

Founded in 2012, Oak Street Health’s mission has been to build a primary-care delivery platform that directly addresses the rising costs and poor outcomes of today’s health care industry, said Skilken Gold in a new release.

The company, which accepts all forms of Medicare, offers personal, equitable and comprehens­ive care for older adults, as well as fitness classes at all locations, community rooms and rides to and from appointmen­ts, the company said.

The group says it focuses on quality of care, not quantity.

The patient experience includes extended time with providers community-centered support for social wellness and a 24/7 patient support line, the company says.

Patients can expect quality time with their care team, whether in-person or via telehealth visits, said Gina Chia, Oak Street Health’s regional vice president in Ohio.

Patients also will get individual­ized treatment plans, support for behavioral health and emotional wellness and Medicare education, Chia said.

“It’s our goal to help older adults meet their unique needs in one place,” she said.

Oak Street Health is a network of about 55 primary care centers. There are five centers in Ohio, though none currently in Dayton. That is about to change.

In addition to the center at Westown, Oak Street is opening a new clinic at 1431 Wayne Ave., in a former Dollar General space.

The Westown shopping plaza is a fixture in the Crown Point neighborho­od, and Oak Street Health likes to locate its health centers where people live, shop and work, Chia said.

The location also has easy access to the public bus lines, which makes it very convenient, she said.

Each center has the capacity for about 3,500 patients, and Oak Street Health chooses to enter new markets based on the density of seniors and whether a community has limited access to high-quality health care for its Medicare population, Chia said.

“Dayton is a natural fit and we’re thrilled to be joining the community,” she said.

Westown took a hit when ALDI closed in April 2018 after 20 years at that location, citing financial concerns.

No new tenant has taken its place, but the shopping complex is otherwise nearly full.

Other storefront­s are occupied by CVS Pharmacy, the Post Office, MetroPCS, Pizza Hut, Family Dollar and a variety of other businesses.

Skilken Gold, a fourth-generation, family-owned company, develops and redevelops shopping centers and currently owns and operates five in Ohio.

 ?? CORNELIUS FROLIK / STAFF ?? A constructi­on worker and pedestrian walk by what will be a new primary care medical clinic in the Westown Shopping Center serving Medicare patients.
CORNELIUS FROLIK / STAFF A constructi­on worker and pedestrian walk by what will be a new primary care medical clinic in the Westown Shopping Center serving Medicare patients.

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