UH Ahuja showcases Phase 2 expansion

$236M project expected to bring 1,000 jobs to community

University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center in Beachwood recently released an animated 3-D video tour, complete with an evening flyby, showcasing all phases of construction encompassing its future expansion project.

UH Ahuja “Phase 2” will officially open in 2023, and construction enabling projects are currently underway, officials confirmed. A groundbreaking ceremony will be announced later this year.

“Ahuja Phase 2 is an amazing project that addresses patient needs in Northeast Ohio for highquality health care,” said Alan J. Papa, chief operating officer of UH East Market and president of UH Ahuja Medical Center. “It will simultaneously allow us to launch new services and enhance existing treatment options.”

The 216,000-square-foot hospital tower addition and 78,000-square-foot sports medicine complex will expand the medical center by more than 68 percent. Architects for the project are HKS Inc., who designed the initial hospital buildings.

“UH Ahuja is an anchor institution on the east side (of Cleveland), and we are evolving to the needs of our residents by offering new and expanded services,” Papa said. “Our goal is to keep patients healthy with preventive care and consistently reduce in-hospital stays, so we are also looking forward to significantly enhancing outpatient services.”

According to UH, Phase 2 paves the way for a number of new health and wellness areas the community will have access to:

• Women & Newborn: A family-focused home for expectant mothers and newborns, the Steve and Loree Potash Women & Newborn Center will include maternal-fetal health services, labor and delivery, a neonatal intensive care unit and family gathering spaces.

It is estimated that the Potash Women & Newborn Center at UH Ahuja will deliver approximately 2,400 babies annually.

• Breast Health: Empowering patients through comprehensive care, the Breast Health Center will deliver the full spectrum of services, from preventive and wellness care to breast cancer treatment.

• Sports Medicine: Delivering care for every athlete, the Drusinsky Family Sports Medicine Complex will feature a sports performance center, outpatient rehabilitation space, a sports walk-in clinic and dedicated high-tech imaging.

In its first year, the complex expects to serve more than 1,350 sports performance patients.

• Men’s Health: Motivating men to prioritize their health through prevention and wellness care, the Cutler Center for Men will deliver a full range of coordinated services, ranging from preventive to specialty care.

• Emergency and ShortStay: The UH Ahuja Emergency Department will be expanded and add Level II trauma care to accommodate a predicted 20 percent increase in ER visits; a new Short-Stay Unit will provide dedicated observation services.

• Service Expansion: Growing surgical, endoscopic, imaging and dialytic services, Phase 2 will promote same-day care, allowing patients to recover from the comfort and safety of home.