Cleveland clinic's avon expansion
Richard E. Jacobs Health Center brings state-of-the-art medical services to Lorain County

By Lou Kren

Cleveland Clinic, in its 91st year, continues to grow. In 2010, the health system eclipsed four million patient visits and 155,000 hospital admissions. In 2011, Cleveland Clinic further increased its reach with the opening of the $98 million Richard E. Jacobs Health Center in Avon.

The 190,000-square-foot center, off Nagel Road near a new I-90 interchange expected to debut in 2013, opened its doors December 12. Nestled in a natural setting, the four-story glass/aluminum-skin family medicine structure looks out to the south on I-90, with an atrium connecting to the two-story white-brick ambulatory surgery center to the north. The health center includes four operating rooms, four procedure rooms and 23-hour-stay capabilities. When fully staffed, it will employ 400 physicians, nurses and support staff. The center also provides primary care, more than 30 specialty services, a pharmacy, onsite laboratory and a large physical-therapy area with two aquatic-therapy pools. The opening of the center’s 24-hour emergency department—already built--will coincide with the opening of the highway interchange.

“The center has been an amazing success,” says Dr. Joseph Knapp, Richard E. Jacobs Health Center medical director. “We are thrilled with the response from the community and our patients. We had almost 5,400 people at our community open house and 900 patient visits our first day. The patients are thrilled with the facility. When you open a building this size, there are always little things that come up. But I have been overwhelmed by how our staff has adapted and made some really great suggestions on how we can make improvements.”

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