Dave Fikse, Mercy Health’s Cincinnati region market president, said the key objective of the $200 million project was to give patients the opportunity to get healthcare closer to home.
“We did not have a presence in Mason or Warren County and it was natural to expand here,” Fikse said.
He said the budget has grown since the initial announcement due to skyrocketing building costs for the 172,000 square-foot facility that includes a 60-bed hospital and medical office complex and will initially employ 175 to 200 full-time staff and growing to more than 275 employees. When the project was announced in January, the cost was estimated at $156 million.
When asked how soon construction will start on the new hospital, Fikse said, “Now.”
Fikse described the project as “access.”
“Access allows us to serve many more patients and communities,” he said.
The new hospital will provide emergency care and general and orthopedic surgery for area residents. The new hospital will feature a 15-bed emergency department; a Level 2 cath lab with interventional radiology; four operating rooms, three procedure suites – two endoscopy rooms and a cystoscopy room.
“We will be able to provide the full gamut of primary care for area residents,” he said.
Officials said the medical office building located next to the hospital will provide specialist and sub-specialty care, including cardiology, pulmonology, general surgery, gynecology, gastroenterology, and vascular services.
The new hospital plugs a gap for the northeast Cincinnati region as other nearby, full-service hospitals include Atrium Medical Center in Middletown; West Chester Hospital in West Chester Twp.; Bethesda North Hospital in Montgomery.
He said the new hospital, located at the corner of Kings Mills Road and Kings Island Drive, will compliment other Mercy Health facilities in the immediate area such as an Urgent Care in Maineville; two primary care practices in Kings Mills and Maineville; Mercy Health – Deerfield Medical Center, an outpatient facility with diagnostics and physician offices; and a school-based health center at Little Miami Intermediate School that opened in 2018.
The complex will be is on a 30-acre site at the former College Football Hall of Fame location.
Earlier this year, Mason City Council approved a tax incentive deal that includes a $600,000 forgivable loan and will waive expedited permit fees. The city agreed to a mutual commitment to explore a collaboration around bio innovation.
Fikse said the new Kings Mills Hospital is expected to open in the fall of 2023. He said the size and scope of the facility will allow for some expansion.
About the Author
