ThisWeek: OhioHealth Pickerington: ‘Wonderful two years’

Two years ago on June 3, 2015, the easily accessible OhioHealth Pickerington Medical Campus opened its doors to provide the community with a diverse offering of innovative medical services. Since then, it has had a tremendous impact on the Pickerington community.

The 146,000-square-foot project brought in 100 employees. According to business officials, the medical campus still brings in additional economic development today. Rob Davies, director of the Pickerington Medical Campus, told ThisWeek reporter, Michael Hayes, that it was an easy decision to build the facility in the east-side suburb.

“We’re growing leaps and bounds,” Davies told ThisWeek. “The first week of opening, we cared for 1,300 patients. We are currently caring for 3,000 patients a week and are continuing to add specialty care services and staff to meet demand.”

Davies also mentioned that because of such growth, there comes a need for high-quality health care. One of those needs was a 24/7 freestanding emergency department, which the city did not have before. In addition to the emergency department, the campus offers services like breast surgery, imaging, outpatient surgery, laboratory services, sports medicine and physical rehabilitation, heart and vascular, OBGYN, neurology, and orthopedics.

The campus utilizes advanced technology that helps to fulfill OhioHealth’s community-based focus on access and quality of care. It was one of the first in central Ohio to use tomosynthesis technology for its breast health program. This technology uses X-rays to show 3-D pictures of breasts. To save patients time and money, the medical office uses video and e-visits as well when it’s appropriate to take the place of a standard office visit.

Another way the medical campus has connected with the community is forming a relationship with the Pickerington Local School District’s STEM program granting the program $140,000 to construct and furnish a classroom.

“We provide each student shadowing experiences throughout the school year so students can get real-life experience into a variety of medical-related professions. This is a very unique partnership that others around the country are trying to emulate,” Davies told ThisWeek.

Further, OhioHealth is pushing to enhance the success of Pickerington student athletes. The campus offers physicals, sports cardiology screening, concussion baseline testing and multiple opportunities for speakers, including those in sports psychology and sports nutrition fields.

Not only does the Pickerington Medical Campus help the surrounding community, but it brings in out-of-state patients too. This is due to convenience and excellent customer service. Davies believes the journey has been nothing but successful, and he is excited about a bright future.

“It’s been a wonderful two years and we couldn’t be happier to partner with the community,” said Davies to ThisWeek.