MetroHealth Formally Kicks Off Campus Transformation

By Casey Ross, The Plain Dealer

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- MetroHealth celebrated the start of its $1.2 billion campus transformation on Monday, a multi-year project that hospital executives said will better align the organization with patients' needs.

The work is kicking off with construction of an 85-room critical care pavilion that will house the sickest patients and serve as the primary intake valve in a mass disaster event. Although construction began weeks ago, MetroHealth held a beam signing for the facility with county officials on Monday morning.

"We hope that we'll never need those 85 rooms to respond to a tragedy," said Dr. Akram Boutros, chief executive of MetroHealth. "Instead, we want this 75,000-square-foot expansion to serve as a glimpse into our collective future."