Clinic breaks ground

New hospital is anticipated to open in Mentor in early 2023

Construction has officially begun on the longawaited Cleveland Clinic Mentor Hospital, which will be the first full-scale Cleveland Clinic hospital to open in Lake County.

In a live-streamed groundbreaking ceremony held Sept. 20, Cleveland Clinic officials were joined by Mentor city leaders to commemorate work beginning on the future hospital located at 8300 Norton Parkway. The new clinic is expected to open in early 2023.

Upon completion, the 95,200-square-foot clinic will feature 34 inpatient/observation rooms, up to 25 outpatient beds, 19 emergency department beds, 12 pre-/post-anesthesia beds and four operating rooms.

It will hold a full emergency department, including a helipad for medical transport.

According to a Cleveland Clinic news release, focus will be placed on services in digestive diseases and general surgery, urology, heart and vascular medicine, orthopedics and pulmonary care.

The organization is investing approximately $80 million to construct Mentor Hospital.

According to Dr. Donald Malone Jr., Cleveland Clinic’s president of Ohio Hospitals and Family Health Centers, the new Mentor Hospital will be managed by Cleveland Clinic Hillcrest Hospital, located in Mayfield Heights, to allow for access and staffing between facilities.

He said that Cleveland Clinic currently has eight other care facilities in Lake County.

“Mentor Hospital will be part of this system that includes 13 Ohio hospitals and more than 200 outpatient locations,” Malone said. “Operating as a system means caregivers in hospitals learn from one another and share our best practices, and it means that patients have access to a full depth of services and specialties.”

The size and design of the new hospital is intentional, he added, and allows for flexibility to meet the healthcare needs of the community.

“For example, rooms are designed to pivot from inpatient to outpatient, and vice versa, as the community grows and health needs change,” he said.

Cleveland Clinic CEO and President Dr.Tom Mihaljevic noted that the groundbreaking comes at a unique time for the institution, as the hospital is currently celebrating its centennial year, while also facing the continued challenges of the pandemic.

“Mentor Hospital plays an important role in fulfilling our mission in Ohio,” Mihaljevic said. “The hospital will anchor Cleveland Clinic’s care in this community, and will be truly integrated in the broader healthcare system of Cleveland Clinic. Our guiding principle for Mentor Hospital is to touch lives with the right type of care, at the right place, at the right time.

“We are honored by this opportunity to shape the future of healthcare in Lake County, and we look forward to earning your trust,” he added.

Mentor City Manager Kenneth Filipiak, said that he and City Council have supported and been deeply involved with the Cleveland Clinic project over several years, and are proud to see it come to fruition.

“Our city’s growing partnership with the Clinic will do much to meet the needs of our city, and Lake County, with the construction of its newest hospital on these grounds,” Filipiak said. “In addition to bringing some of the finest specialty care to our doorstep, our residents will enjoy the region’s best emergency care services at the first hospital within our borders.

“This will save precious time for those in distress and will greatly reduce the turnaround time for our emergency service providers, making them more available to our residents.”

PHOTO BY DON GERDA, COURTESY OF CLEVELAND CLINIC Cleveland Clinic leaders met with the Mentor city manager to break ground on the new hospital on Sept. 20. From left to right, Richard Parker, M.D., Donald Malone Jr., M.D., Tom Mihaljevic, M.D., Kenneth Filipiak and Alice Kim, M.D.

RENDERING COURTESY OF CLEVELAND CLINIC The Cleveland Clinic Mentor Hospital will serve patients in Lake and northern Geauga counties. While Cleveland Clinic has eight healthcare centers in Lake County, the new facility will be the organization’s first hospital in the county.

RENDERING COURTESY OF CLEVELAND CLINIC The new Cleveland Clinic Mentor Hospital, expected to open in 2023, will provide stateof-the-art inpatient, outpatient and emergency care.