Cleveland, OH,
05
November
2022
|
16:04 PM
America/New_York

The MetroHealth Glick Center Opens to Patients

The MetroHealth System welcomed patients to The Glick Center today, bringing to life the state-of-the-art, 11-floor hospital that now anchors MetroHealth’s main campus in Cleveland’s Clark-Fulton neighborhood.

“While the Glick Center is one of the most modern, technologically advanced inpatient facilities in the state, it’s the care and compassion that is being delivered there that will advance our goal of providing hope, health, and humanity to our communities,” said MetroHealth President and CEO Akram Boutros, MD, FACHE.

The acute-care hospital is part of a $946 million transformation of MetroHealth’s main campus. Dr. Boutros announced his vision for the project in 2014, and construction began in April 2019. The building was completed on time and under budget despite the onset of the COVID pandemic.

Saturday’s transition from the old hospital to The Glick Center began shortly after 7 a.m. and was completed in less than eight hours, as hundreds of caregivers and volunteers safely transferred about 260 patients in a carefully coordinated operation.

“MetroHealth employees were committed to ensuring this transition was seamless and had the least-possible impact on our patients,” Dr. Boutros said. “They have been planning the move for months, and they executed that plan flawlessly.”

The Glick Center combines cutting-edge technology with modern design, all in service of creating spaces that promote comfort and healing.

Advanced technology is present throughout the hospital’s nine patient-care floors. All 316 patient rooms are equipped to provide intensive care if needed. Each includes a sleeping area for family members and a large flatscreen monitor that serves several functions, including displaying the patient’s care plan and allowing for remote communication with friends and family members who may be unable to visit.

The design of the hospital’s interior reflects the community it serves. The building is home to more than 600 pieces of unique art, including murals and photography commissioned for the building. Seventy percent of the artwork was created by artists from Greater Cleveland, an arrangement made possible through a partnership with LAND Studio.

The inclusion of well-furnished family spaces honors the importance of patients’ loved ones and the value of their presence to the healing process. The building includes kitchenettes equipped with microwaves, making it possible for comforting, homecooked food to be brought in and reheated.

Enhanced patient safety and security features include the use of digital identification badges, which will be coded to allow visitors access only to the floor of their approved destination.

The Glick Center is named in honor of JoAnn and Bob Glick, whose $42 million donation in 2020 is the largest gift in MetroHealth’s 185-year history. The hospital is the centerpiece of a neighborhood revitalization effort that acknowledges that good health depends on far more than traditional medical care. It depends on things like access to safe housing, healthy food, job opportunities, education and more – factors often referred to as the social drivers of health.

The new hospital is surrounded by 3 acres of green space, which will grow to become a 12-acre park once MetroHealth’s retired facilities are demolished in 2024. Overall, about half of the campus’ 52 acres will be green space, in keeping with Dr. Boutros’ “Hospital in a Park” vision.

The 767,000-square-foot building is LEED-certified and nationally recognized for environmental sustainability through awards from Practice Greenhealth. It is situated in the nation’s first EcoDistrict led by a healthcare system.

The transformation project also includes a 1,500-space employee parking garage completed in 2018. Over the next few years, the campus will add a new outpatient facility, including a center for cancer care, and a new 700-car visitor parking garage.

Funding for the project comes through the 2017 sale of hospital revenue bonds and relies on no taxpayer money. The main campus’ expanded green space and community programs will be supported through a $150 million fundraising campaign by The MetroHealth Foundation.

For media: Click here to download b-roll from the move.
For media: Click here for an interview with Julia Mason, MBA, RN, CENP, Chief Nursing Officer for Inpatient Services

About The MetroHealth System

Founded in 1837, MetroHealth is leading the way to a healthier you and a healthier community through service, teaching, discovery, and teamwork. Cuyahoga County’s public, safety-net hospital system, MetroHealth meets people where they are, providing care through five hospitals, four emergency departments and more than 20 health centers. Each day, our nearly 9,000 employees focus on providing our community with equitable healthcare — through patient-focused research, access to care, and support services — that seeks to eradicate health disparities rooted in systematic barriers. For more information, visit metrohealth.org.