OhioHealth To Build Neuroscience Wellness Center

Less than three years after opening the doors to the state-of-the-art OhioHealth Neuroscience Center at OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital, OhioHealth is proud to announce plans for a first-of-its-kind neuroscience wellness center. The center will be located near the Riverside Methodist Hospital campus.

The neuroscience wellness center will extend OhioHealth’s continuum of care for those living with neurological conditions – such as Parkinson’s, stroke, multiple sclerosis and others – by providing them with programs, equipment, education, and experts in prevention and rehabilitation to help manage their conditions and live more active lives.

“A patient’s care doesn’t stop when they leave the hospital or the doctor’s office,” said Dr. Janet Bay, system vice president, OhioHealth Neuroscience. “They need to stay active and fit in mind and body – physically, mentally, and spiritually. Our neuroscience wellness center represents our best vision for a place that can be the center of all of that for them. As leaders, locally and nationally, in the treatment of neurological conditions, our new center will impact patient’s lives in a new way and we are so very proud to be bringing it to those who will benefit from it.”

Programs and classes at the center will include exercise, nutrition, stress reduction, yoga, caregiver support programs, and more. Additionally, it will bring already-established OhioHealth wellness programs, such as OhioHealth Delay the Disease, OhioHealth Fore Hope, the OhioHealth MS Wellness Program, Staying Fit Following Stroke and Brain Injury and Gerlach Center for Senior Health clinics under one roof. The center will also serve as an incubator for development of new programming

“We have made a tremendous commitment to neuroscience in the communities we serve,” said Dave Blom, president and CEO of OhioHealth. “We have a passion for giving patients and their families the very best healthcare, no matter where they are on that journey. We believe wellness is a significant part of that journey and that the new neuroscience wellness center will be a big step forward in that area.”

Preliminary plans call for a 30,000 square-foot facility including, but not limited to;

• Two large multipurpose fitness studios that can be split for simultaneous classes
• Indoor cycling (spinning) studio and indoor walking trail
• John J. Gerlach Center clinic programs and support services specifically for older adults
• An outdoor program area located immediately outside of the building

The new facility will cost $12.1 million to design and build with $10 million of that coming from the Building Strength for Life campaign led by the OhioHealth Foundation. The generous McConnell Foundation gift of $6 million represents 60 percent of that goal. Construction is expected to be complete in the next two years.

“We are pleased to be involved in such a critical and groundbreaking approach to wellness care in the field of neuroscience,” said John P. McConnell, Chairman and CEO of Worthington Industries. “Our family believes in the vision of OhioHealth in providing exceptional care in the communities they serve. The neuroscience wellness center is another example of their leadership on healthcare issues that are important to all of us.”

The McConnell family’s long-standing philanthropic partnership with OhioHealth spans nearly 30 years. Generous gifts from the McConnell Foundation, which now total more than $25 million dollars, have been instrumental in leading and advancing medical care innovations at OhioHealth. This latest gift will continue to ensure the OhioHealth neuroscience mission of delaying the progression of disease, improving outcomes, and reducing costs.

“We are filled with gratitude to the McConnell family for this extraordinary gift to support our neuroscience wellness center and the people who will benefit from the services,” said Karen Morrison, president of the OhioHealth Foundation and senior vice president, OhioHealth. “We are inspired by the passion, dedication and generosity of John P. McConnell’s unwavering commitment to OhioHealth and to this community.”

“We are truly thankful to have partners alongside us like the McConnell family to help us make this important and impactful new center a reality,” added Blom.

To learn more about neuroscience at OhioHealth, click here.