OhioHealth to build $12M neurological wellness center
OhioHealth announced plans Friday to construct a first-of-its-kind neuroscience wellness center, a facility that officials say will benefit people living with Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and the after-effects of a stroke.
The center will provide services to help patients manage their care on a lifelong continuum, beyond doctor’s appointments and hospital stays.
It will be located near Riverside Methodist Hospital’s campus at 3535 Olentangy River Road in Columbus, where a Neuroscience Center opened in 2015.
“We have made a tremendous commitment to neuroscience in the communities we serve,” said Dave Blom, OhioHealth’s president and CEO.
A $6 million donation from the John P. McConnell Foundation will pay for nearly half of the 30,000-squarefoot wellness center’s construction costs, which will total about $12.1 million, according to a news release.
Construction should be complete within two years.
“A patient’s care doesn’t stop when they leave the hospital,” Dr. Janet Bay, OhioHealth’s neuroscience program system vice president, said in the release. “They need to stay active and fit in mind and body.”
Officials say the wellness center will make that achievable under one roof.
Plans include two multipurpose fitness studios, an indoor cycling studio, an indoor walking trail and an outdoor program area. Program offerings will include exercise, nutrition, yoga, stress reduction, caregiver support programs, and senior health clinics and support services.
The center will also serve as an incubator for new program development, OhioHealth officials said.
About $10 million of the project’s construction costs will be funded from a campaign led by the OhioHealth Foundation, officials said. The John P. McConnell Foundation gift is included in that amount.
McConnell is the chairman and CEO of locally based Worthington Industries, an industrial metals manufacturer. In nearly 30 years, his family’s philanthropic contributions to OhioHealth now total more than $25 million.