OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital Celebrates Recent Recognitions and Growth
OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital recently received recognitions for its excellence in patient care, leadership and energy efficiency, showing its continued dedication to the community.
O’Bleness Hospital was named to the Chartis Center for Rural Health’s Elite Top 100 list, which recognizes the best rural and community-sized hospitals in the country. The hospital also earned a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the highest possible rating, based on its performance in safety, mortality, patient experience, readmission rates and timeliness.
"You can’t get much better than the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid deeming you a five-star hospital," LeeAnn Lucas-Helber, OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital president, told the Athens County Independent. "For us to consistently get that and consistently deliver high-quality care to our community is something we're incredibly proud of."
The hospital also earned an Energy Star certification from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its work in improving energy efficiency throughout the hospital.
As part of its ongoing growth, O’Bleness is making big investments in its future, with a $17.2 million renovation to update its surgical facilities. Two surgical suites are undergoing renovations, with work wrapping up by May 2025. The final phase, including renovating the rest of the surgical spaces, is expected to be complete by January 2026.
“We needed to address our post-anesthesia care unit and same-day surgery space, so we made modifications to expand and make those areas more flexible depending on the patient's needs," Lucas-Helber said.
In October 2024, O’Bleness partnered with Nationwide Children’s Hospital to open a Close To Home Center for outpatient services in the hospital’s medical office building. Since its opening, the center has seen over 200 patients and provided more than 650 visits. The response from the community has been incredibly positive.
"Even if you’re making frequent trips to Columbus, it’s a challenge to navigate traffic and everything to get to your appointment safely. It’s really exciting that we can reduce this for folks," Lucas-Helber shared.
Above all, Lucas-Helber credits the hospital’s dedicated team for these accomplishments.
"I trust that whenever they interact with someone, whether they have the privilege to lay their hands on a patient or they support someone who does, you feel welcome, cared for, and safe when you enter our campus.”
