University Hospitals plans $200M expansion of its UH Ahuja Medical Center

Ohio-based University Hospitals is planning a $200 million expansion of its UH Ahuja Medical Center and expects to add 1,000 new jobs as a result of the project. 

Announced Monday, UH said it will break ground this fall on the building that will include labor and delivery, a NICU, sports rehab, a women’s health and comprehensive breast health center, and other services. This would be phase 2 in development of the 144-bed medical center, which originally opened in 2011.

“As a result of significant increased patient demand for our services and our plan for the future healthcare needs of the community, we are extremely pleased to announce this further development of UH Ahuja Medical Center,” said Thomas F. Zenty III, CEO of UH, in a release.

The project will include adding a second five-floor hospital tower and a two-floor, 64,000-square-foot sports medicine complex to the southwest side of the existing buildings. The medical center project will add a new labor and delivery unit and a new neonatal intensive care unit, expand the emergency room from 22 beds to 30 beds and add a women's health center. 

It will include a new ambulatory surgical center with eight operating rooms and 32 universal pre- and post-op beds. The UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute will add 10 new exam rooms. The project will also expand the observation unit and create a new short-stay unit for patients who need less than 24 hours of care in the ambulatory surgery center.

RELATED: Pronovost's new mission: Convincing health systems to tell a different story