The new medical center will be located on Progress Drive across from the YMCA on the western edge of Xenia. It will be about 10 miles, or a 20-minute drive, from Soin Medical Center, and about a 10-minute drive from the existing Greene Memorial Hospital, which is on Monroe Drive in north-central Xenia.
“We are honored by the trust and support that the residents of our Xenia community have placed in Kettering Health,” said Kettering Health CEO Mike Gentry. “As the health care landscape continues to change, the focus we place on our patients and meeting community health needs is the strongest way we can express our deep gratitude.”
The new medical center will have a full-service emergency room alongside imaging services that include MRI, CT and X-Ray. Along with the additional programs supporting emergency care, a Kettering Health Breast Evaluation Center will provide access to screenings.
The existing campus has about 18 emergency department bays. Kettering Health is still determining the number of bays for the new medical center, according to Daniel Tryon, president of Kettering Health Greene Memorial and Soin Medical Center.
The facility will be similar to Kettering Health’s other medical centers, he said, like ones in Huber Heights, Preble County and Middletown.
There will not be inpatient space at the new medical center, Tryon said.
“At this point, we do not have beds listed as a part of the project ... The inpatient area here is one of the assessments that we’re doing across the community of where best to provide the care that’s currently happening here at Green Memorial for patients that stay overnight,” Tryon said.
Patients in need of care not available at the medical center, such an overnight stay, a visit to a catheterization laboratory or specialized care in an operating room, will be stabilized at the medical center before being transported to a hospital where that care is available.
“It’s the same model today as it will be in the new facility,” Tryon said.
The current hospital has a emergency center and is certified as a primary stroke center. Its other range of services includes cardiac rehabilitation, cancer support services and 3D mammography.
Staff can stay on with Kettering Health, hospital says
The city believes this move will displace current Greene Memorial Hospital employees, Merriman said in his response, but most of the employees will be offered positions at the new medical center, according to Kettering Health.
“I believe our patients that come here to this facility get a very special experience, and we know that experience is because of the team that we have here,” Tryon said.
The remaining employees who don’t get a position with the new medical center will be offered similar positions at other locations in Greene County, the hospital said.
City leaders want Kettering Health out
Kettering Health’s announcement comes after leaders in Xenia reached out to Kettering Health with offers to help the hospital system make an exit out of the city.
In a letter to Gentry, the city of Xenia proposed an “exit ramp” for Kettering Health, which would involve transitioning ownership of the former Greene Memorial Hospital to the city.
Other propositions from city leaders included Kettering Health divesting its properties on Progress Drive and Greene Way Boulevard or marketing them for additional development, according to the letter signed by Xenia Mayor Sarah Mays and Merriman.
“Kettering Health remains committed to our mission of improving the quality of life of the people in the communities we serve — including Xenia and Greene County. Nothing we do now or in the future is more important than providing the community high-quality health care in fulfillment of this promise,” Kettering Health said in a statement to the Dayton Daily News.
Xenia city leaders remain skeptical, according to Merriman’s statement.
“This measure will discourage competition in the health care market and will negatively impact access to care in our community and the balance of Greene County,” Merriman said.
“The Xenia City Council will continue to fight for improved care, seeking partnerships with health care providers that are truly committed to the best interests of patients.”
Plans still developing
The new medical center will be located on Xenia’s REACH (Recreation, Education, Activity, Community, and Health) Center site, which is a multi-purpose recreation and education facility on South Progress Drive. Kettering Health already has primary care offices located at 50 Progress Dr. in Xenia.
The Kettering Health Xenia project is expected to take 24 months to complete. The existing campus, Kettering Health Greene Memorial, will continue to remain open during that time, the hospital said.
It’s unclear what will become of the existing campus on Monroe Drive after those two years are up, but Kettering Health plans to take input from the community, according to hospital leaders.
“There are still a lot of conversations to happen with a bunch of different community stakeholders on what would be the best use of this site,” Tryon said.
Kettering Health acquired Greene Memorial Hospital in 2008. The property was donated on the condition that it be used for purposes as a hospital. Should those hospital functions cease, it would revert back to the original owner, according to city documents.
Kettering Health is ranked as the region’s second-largest employer, after Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, according to the Ohio Department of Development’s 2022 major employer list. Kettering Health reportedly has about 14,400 employees in Ohio, the same as Honda.
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