To meet the rising demand for patient care on Cleveland’s west side, Cleveland Clinic has announced plans to significantly expand both Avon Hospital and Richard E. Jacobs Family Health Center. The $340 million project would almost double the size of the campus, which is off Nagel Road in Avon.
The Avon Hospital expansion will include a bed tower to increase inpatient capacity, new operating rooms, a larger emergency department, and additional lab and imaging space. Avon Hospital, which opened in 2016 as a five-story, 126-bed facility, has experienced consistent growth in demand for its services over the last nine years.
“Our region is constantly changing, and Cleveland Clinic’s submarket approach allows us to adapt to meet patients’ changing needs,” said Tom Mihaljevic, MD, CEO and President, and Morton L. Mandel CEO Chair, Cleveland Clinic. “We are pleased to announce our plans to expand alongside this growing area. We are dedicated to all of the communities we serve, and projects like this are one of the ways we reinvest in patient care and facilities so that we can care for more people.”
Avon Hospital’s surgeries and admissions have increased by more than 40% since 2017, as have imaging services by nearly 75%. The hospital also runs one of the busiest labs in the Cleveland Clinic health system. Avon Hospital currently provides a variety of services, including radiology, pharmacy, lab and cardiac catheterization, an intensive care unit, and a primary stroke center.
“This initiative will increase our ability to bring world-class care to this region,” said Jorge A. Guzman, M.D., MBA, President of Cleveland Clinic Northeast Ohio Market. “The communities in Lorain County have been rapidly growing, and we want to ensure that patients have access to the care they require close to home. This expansion will enable us to serve more patients and provide increasingly complex care.”
To meet the growing demand for outpatient services and improve access to preventive and specialty care, Cleveland Clinic plans to add approximately 90 exam rooms to the Richard E. Jacobs Family Health Center, as well as expand cancer services, including radiation oncology. The facility opened in 2011 and now offers advanced specialty and primary care, an outpatient surgery center, a chemotherapy infusion center, an imaging center, and a large physical therapy area with two pools for aquatic therapy.
There are also plans to add a parking garage to the Avon campus, which will provide convenient access for patients, visitors, and staff as the facilities expand their services.
“This expansion is one example of how we’re committed to supporting our west-side communities,” said Neil P. Smith, D.O., president of Cleveland Clinic’s West Submarket. “Together with important construction and initiatives taking place at Fairview Hospital, we will be well-positioned to provide comprehensive, quality care for years to come in this area.”
Construction on a new cancer center, medical office building, and parking garage at Fairview Hospital is expected to begin later this year. This investment, along with the Avon campus project, totals $600 million in Cleveland Clinic’s west submarket. Philanthropy will also help to accelerate progress and ensure success.
Construction on the Avon projects is set to begin in 2026, with completion expected in 2028.
