The Olentangy Liberty High School students recognized a gap in the healthcare supply chain and saw an opportunity to give unused medical equipment a second life. This discovery led them to reach out to OhioHealth, where they connected with Jean Halpin, president of OhioHealth Grant Medical Center. Halpin responded to the students’ initial outreach and facilitated the connection with the system’s supply chain team.

“Glad you are doing this work. It saves the planet and helps others in our world,” Halpin told the Project MedBridge team.

That connection helped transform the students’ idea into a large-scale effort to redirect unused medical supplies to healthcare organizations that could use them.

“The supplies already existed, and the need already existed,” said Ben Kurian, team lead and junior at Olentangy Liberty High School. “What was missing was a way to connect the two.”

OhioHealth donated approximately $250,000 of medical supplies to Project MedBridge, including 9,393 boxes of 3M N95 respirator and 20,736 reusable hot-and-cold therapy packs. The supplies donated by OhioHealth are being distributed through Brother’s Brother Foundation, a Pittsburgh-based humanitarian organization that distributes medical supplies and equipment to hospitals worldwide.

“I was encouraged to learn there was an opportunity for these supplies to be utilized by organizations in need rather than being discarded,” Amy McFarland, OhioHealth senior consultant for supply chain, told the Delaware Source. “It is inspiring to see high school students demonstrate such a strong commitment to addressing both healthcare and environmental challenges.”

The students originally set a goal to collect around 1,000 to 2,000 pounds of medical supplies. With OhioHealth’s donation of more than 30,000 pounds the team quickly surpassed that goal and gained national recognition.

“At that point it wasn’t a hypothetical student project anymore. The biggest hospital system in our city was actually trusting us to figure out what happened next,” Vahin Dubey, outreach lead for Project MedBridge told the Delaware Source.

Project MedBridge was selected as one of 71 teams nationwide for the 2026 Carnegie Young Leaders for Civic Preparedness class. As one of only two Ohio teams selected, the students received $7,500 in funding, along with access to a national network for young leaders.

“Being in a room with young people from across the country who were already building serious projects in their communities made it very clear that age doesn’t have to determine the scale of a problem you can take on,” Ben Kurian said. “Not even a week later, we were back in Ohio moving a donation larger than anything we could’ve dreamed of.”

With Project MedBridge’s first donation complete, they have set a new goal of redirecting 100,000 pounds of supplies by the end of 2027.

“This is the first,” said Naman Soni, operations lead for Project MedBridge. “The next step is making sure our work doesn’t stop with just one hospital.”

OhioHealth Grant Medical Center

"This new lactation clinic is a direct reflection of our core mission: to improve the health of those we serve,” Jean Halpin, president of OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, said. “We are dedicated to ensuring every mother and child has the resources they need to thrive, and this clinic is a proud new chapter in that commitment."

The clinic is located across the street from Grant at the William W. Wilkins Professional Building. The address is 285 E State St, Columbus, OH 43215.

“This clinic is a testament to OhioHealth's commitment to serving all members of our community, particularly those who might not have easy access to vital healthcare services,” Vice President of Women’s Health Clinical Service Line, Jason Melillo, MD, said. "We believe these services will greatly enhance health outcomes for mothers and their children.”

Breastfeeding services help those who are: 
• Expecting a baby and want to learn breastfeeding techniques early. 
• Learning how to breastfeed a newborn baby. 
• Struggling with pain, latching issues or infant weight gain/loss. 
• The mother of a premature baby or a baby with other special needs. 
• The mother of multiple infants (such as twins and triplets). 
• Questioning how to go back to work while continuing to breastfeed.

Services offered at the clinic include private consultations, prenatal breast assessments, and breastfeeding classes, all designed to ensure successful breastfeeding experiences for new mothers.

“Our dedicated team of international board-certified lactation consultants are here to offer compassionate support and guidance to ensure the health and well-being of both mother and baby,” Director of Nursing at OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, Erika Beck, said.

Administrative Nurse Manager at Grant, Bethany Kravitz, added, "Our goal is to provide a supportive environment where mothers feel empowered and informed during their breastfeeding journey. We are proud to offer these essential services right here in Columbus."

Services are available by appointment. Interested individuals can schedule by calling (614) 566-9008.

Photo courtesy: OhioHealth 

OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital, already Ohio’s busiest maternity hospital, is undergoing an expansion with the construction of a nearly 600,000-square-foot Women’s Health Center. Set to open in 2027, the center will include:

• 185 inpatient beds
• Labor, delivery, and recovery rooms
• New operating rooms
• Mammogram services
• Obstetric and gynecological care

“We’ve engaged with a lot of women in our community here, and they said that they want more access to care, and so we’re proud to be a partner with them to deliver upon that,” Kristina Stuecher, vice president and project executive of the OhioHealth Women’s Health Center, told NBC4 anchor Jerod Smalley.

The new tower, located at the front of the hospital near State Route 315, will keep Riverside Methodist Hospital well-connected to ensure patient safety and convenience.

Downtown Columbus is also seeing major growth, and OhioHealth Grant Medical Center is expanding right along with it.

In early March, Grant Medical Center will open a new 33,000-square-foot Primary Care Center with more than 50 patient rooms, also serving as home to the hospital’s residency program. Shortly after, phase two of Grant’s $400 million expansion will begin, with construction of a seven-story trauma center tower at the corner of Town Street and 6th Street. This facility is expected to open in 2028.

“Downtown is growing, and we want to be able to serve the residents as well as those who are working downtown,” said Jean Halpin, president of OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, told NBC4. “We’re seeing lots of people start to migrate back down into the office setting, and so being able to have that anchor here is really important. That’s our investment into the future of medicine.”

OhioHealth Dublin Methodist Hospital is also preparing for expansion, adding inpatient beds, critical care capacity and jobs, scheduled for completion in 2030. 

“Employers look for strength in hospitals, strength in schools, strength in community, and by being an anchor as OhioHealth serving the largest population here, that really makes us a good partner for employers as well as attractive for people to come here to Columbus,” Halpin said.

Grant Family Medicine is the outpatient care home of the Grant Family Medicine Residency and has supported the community for over 50 years. It provides comprehensive primary care services for all ages, including adult care, pregnancy care, newborns, children and adolescents.  Services include:

• Annual physicals and wellness exams
• Phlebotomy services by Quest Diagnostics (by appointment only)
• Specialized care for older adults
• Prevention and management of chronic diseases
• Walk-in care for injury or illness
• Obstetrics, lactation support and gynecology
• Care after hospital admission
• Sports medicine
• Behavioral health support
• And more

The new building is 33,000 square feet with 50 patient rooms and two community education spaces. It’s also home to Grant’s transition of care clinic and offers a clinical learning environment for 36 family medicine resident physicians.

“Our physicians and advanced practice providers create a space that values and supports every patient,” said Alysia Herzog, MD, Grant Family Medicine Residency Program Director. “We specialize in caring for the entire family through all phases of life. This new location will allow us to continue to deliver compassionate, comprehensive and personalized care to patients and families with expanded services to better meet the needs of our community.”

The new practice location offers convenient, free parking in a brand-new attached garage with 520 parking spaces.

Walk-ins are accepted and patients can also schedule appointments by calling 614-788-5400.  Grant Family Medicine is open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., with some evening appointments available on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

“OhioHealth is committed to downtown Columbus and is choosing to stay, commit, partner and invest in the area for the long term,” said Jean Halpin, President, Grant Medical Center. “It’s projected that central Ohio’s population will exceed three million by 2050.  Grant’s transformation, starting with primary care and now moving on to trauma and critical care, will allow us to support the exponentially growing population.”

Construction began on the new Grant Family Medicine ambulatory building in the fall of 2023.  

Media Tours

Media is invited to tour the Grant Family Medicine ambulatory building on Wednesday, March 12, from 3-4 p.m.  Grant’s president, Jean Halpin, will also be available for interviews. Please email katie.logan@ohiohealth.com if your media outlet plans on attending. 

Construction Begins Soon on Phase Two

The prior site of Grant Family Medicine, which was located in the lower level of the 6^th Street Blue parking garage at 290 E. Town St., will begin to be deconstructed later in March, along with the rest of the parking garage, for construction to begin on phase two of the transformation: a new, 270,000 square foot trauma center, emergency department and critical care pavilion to build upon Grant’s core strengths. 

This seven-story building will allow Grant to expand trauma, critical care and intermediate care and modernize the emergency department to meet growing demand for these services. The new critical care pavilion will add 160 private beds and will include close and convenient access to underground parking for emergency department patients.

Construction is expected to be completed in mid-2028.

Courtesy for Video Rendering: Cannon Design/Atchain CG Technology/Messer

Courtesy for Photo: OhioHealth

Media has permission to download video and photo for use in print, on-air and web.

Halpin has been with OhioHealth for 33 years, serving in a variety of clinical and administrative positions across the system including most recently as Chief Operations Officer (COO) at Grant Medical Center.

In addition to assuming her role as President, Halpin will also be responsible for system EMS and will continue serving as Vice President of Customer Experience for the OhioHealth system until a transition plan is finalized. 

“I am honored and excited to assume the role of President at OhioHealth Grant Medical Center,” said Halpin.  “This is a time of immense growth at the only adult hospital downtown and there is so much to look forward to here.  I’m proud to be part of a team of leaders, physicians, nurses and associates that are so committed to providing access to high-quality care for our community.”

Since 2022, Halpin’s strategic and operational leadership as Grant’s COO has been integral throughout all areas of the hospital. This includes championing both the planning and success of the hospital’s expansion, Grant 2028 Impact: Access to Care for All.

Other career highlights for Halpin include her instrumental role in the development of OhioHealth’s outpatient division and serving as President of OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital during the hospital’s integration into the OhioHealth system in 2014. She was named one of the 15 Most Powerful and Influential Women of Ohio in 2014 by the National Diversity Council. She is also on the Columbus Public Health Board of Directors.