Middletown hospital undergoing $2.5M expansion less than a year after opening - Dayton Business Journal (2024)

Less than a year after opening, Kettering Health Network Middletown is expanding its facility to accommodate growth and increase the amount of services it offers to patients.

The hospital, which saw its first patient Aug. 8, 2018, has been busy these last 11 months. Following its grand opening, the Middletown facility launched a physician office building within the complex and was approved for rezoning, which allowed for expanded in-patient services.

As it inches closer to the one-year mark, KHN-Middletown is growing again with the build-out of 6,000 square feet of shell space that was included in the initial construction.

The $2.5 million expansion project will allow Kettering Health to offer 3D mammography services, while providing additional space for OB/GYN physicians and primary care doctors to see patients. It will also create a new women's center within the hospital.

Kettering Health expects the expansion, which is currently under construction, to be completed by fall.

In an interview with the Dayton Business Journal, KHN-Middletown Executive Director and Administrator Daniel Tryon spoke about the expansion project, the possibility of future expansions, how the zoning change helped bolster in-patient services, and his overall assessment of the hospital's progress nearly one year in.

Why was the expansion necessary, and what will it allow you to offer?

We have more physicians than space, which is a good problem to have. This will allow us to create some additional space for our OB/GYN physicians, create a women's center for them, and allow us to continue our primary care growth so we can continue to accept new patients. We're also adding state-of-the-art 3D mammography, which is the latest and greatest in mammography technology.

This (space) was all part of the initial build out, so when we built the hospital we purposely left space for us to grow into based on what we're hearing from the community and patients. This is a chance to grow into some of that space.

Will you be hiring more employees as a result of the expansion?

We have about 145 people that call Middletown their work home, and that number will grow as part of this project. We're still working on exact numbers, but I can say it will result in an employment increase.

Are there any plans for future expansions?

We still have between 10,000 and 11,000 square feet to potentially grow into down the road, but at this point we are focusing on getting through the opening of our fall expansion. We're always tying to find ways to improve what we offer patients, but there are no formal plans as of now.

DBJ previously reported on 2.45 acres of undeveloped land KHN owns near the hospital — have you made any plans for this property?

That land is connected to the land our facility is built on, but we have no updates as of now. There's a potential for growth and the addition of new services as needed, but right now we have no immediate plans.

A recent zoning change permitted KHN-Middletown to operate as a full-service hospital — what does that allow you to do?

We are grateful the (Middletown) Planning Commission and City Council both approved our request, which took effect earlier this year. What that allows us to do is keep patients longer, which is great and allows us to consider other types of growth.

We have observation beds in our facility, but before we could only hold a patient for 23 hours and 59 minutes. Now I believe we have 48 hours of observation status, which gives us a longer period of time to make a decision on if they need to be an in-patient admission or if they continue as an out-patient. I think it's better for the patient, with the ultimate goal of providing the best care we can and getting them home as quickly as possible.

How will the rezoning help the hospital grow and expand?

With the zoning change, it will allow us to expand into anything we feel the community and patients need in terms of health care. We're still working through the 'ifs and whens' but it allows us to begin planning for the future. It presents flexibility and the opportunity to take things further.

Nearly one year in, what is your overall assessment of KHN-Middletown?

I think it's gone exceptionally well. For us, we've been honored to be a part of the Middletown community and to be involved locally. So I think over the first year we've been blessed by the support of the community and how they've responded to us. I think it increases our excitement about being here, and what it holds for the future of Kettering Health Network in Middletown.