As the crown jewel in the suburban component of the hospital’s Vision 2010 strategic plan, the new
Ahuja Medical Center will become a symbol of caring for the community for generations to come. It will be situated on a 53-acre, previously undeveloped site at I-271 and Harvard Road. And, its design will be a prominent addition to the landscape, while having a minimal impact on the environment as an eco-friendly facility.
It will also be a catalyst for economic growth by bringing jobs, attracting additional medical industry and generating tremendous tax revenues. In his address to an awestruck crowd after University Hospitals CEO, Thomas F. Zenty III’s December 2006 announcement of the a $30 million philanthropic gift from Monte Ahuja and his family, Mr. Ahuja said, “Cleveland has given me my life. I can think of no better investment than University Hospitals’ Vision 2010.”
Mr. Zenty praised the Ahujas saying, "In naming UH's newest hospital the Ahuja Medical Center, we are paying tribute to the family's dedication to advancing health care for our community and beyond, and ensuring that future generations recognize the Ahuja family's role in promoting the economic vitality of Northeast Ohio."
Beginning in 2003, hospital leadership and directors poured over market and industry studies to best determine how to meet the needs of an aging population in the eastern suburbs and a tremendously booming pattern of migration into suburbs further out such as Aurora, Twinsburg and Solon. To make advanced care more accessible to eastsiders and to anticipate growth in the need for services such as cardiac and stroke care, and others, hospital leaders determined the facility would be extremely viable. But, they wanted to go even further by embarking on an ambitious and carefully considered planning process to create one of the safest, best healing hospitals in the country.
As part of Vision 2010, the Ahuja Medical Center will truly fulfill the plan's goals of anticipating the health care needs of the region and providing care in a hospital “built around the need of patients and their families.” Vision 2010 reaffirms a strong commitment to the highest-quality, patient-centered care at UH and renews our focus on our centers of excellence in cancer, pediatrics, neurology, cardiology, orthopaedics, and surgical specialties.
FACTS ABOUT THE AHUJA MEDICAL CENTER:
- The 371,700 square-foot hospital design will echo its purpose: to heal people. Integrated into the layout will be healing gardens, ponds, fountains and landscaped areas bordering parking. Walkways and gardens will wind throughout the campus and existing natural landscapes will be preserved. Incorporation of natural features is proven to help reduce stress and decrease healing and recovery times.
- The eastern suburbs of Cleveland are experiencing one of the greatest surges in population of people aged 45 and above in the nation. Within several cities on the eastside, the over 65 population has more than quintupled in the last decade.
- In the city of Aurora, more than 70 percent of the population is over age 65. Coupled with the fact that there is a dearth of major medical services in the eastern suburbs, there exists a serious need for advanced medical services in an environment in which savvy baby boomer consumers will want convenient access to high-quality health care.
- In the medical and surgical areas, an array of inpatient and outpatient services, including the most technologically advanced, minimally-invasive surgical and endoscopic procedures will be available.
- Leading-edge diagnostic services and genetic counseling will be offered and patients will have the benefit of close proximity to visit their primary care physician in offices adjacent to the hospital.