Blanchard Valley Health System’s $40 million Wellness Park Brings Modernized, Centralized Care to Findlay Community

Dr. Jim Davidson, MD; Becky Alexander, rehab outpatient supervisor; and Kayla Ray, a physical therapist, discuss a patient’s progress in the physical therapy facility at Blanchard Valley Health System’s new Wellness Park. The $40 million multi-specialty facility – opened in January – is designed to provide collaborative, comprehensive care in one centralized location and is part of a greater $140 million plan by BVHS for health care advancements.

Health Campus one of Several BVHS Advancements on the Horizon

By Sarah Mayle

Upon the wall in Dr. Jim Davidson’s office is a framed photo of a snow plowed lane, a gift from a patient who couldn’t walk her favorite path for years until knee replacement surgery restored that freedom. It’s a gift that means a lot to Davidson, an inspiring reminder in his new space at Blanchard Valley Health System’s Wellness Park, where, through strategic advancements, the goal is to provide Davidson and other health professionals with an even better ability to serve the community.

Dr. Jim Davidson, MD, has been an orthopedic surgeon with BVHS for 26 years

“Now she can walk that path every day,” said Davidson, MD, who has been an orthopedic surgeon with BVHS for 26 years. Davidson was one of about 15 multi-disciplined BVHS leaders who collaborated to research and decide upon Wellness Park’s features. He loves that in the new facility, he can swipe his badge, walk into the physical therapy area, and check on his patients’ progress with ease.

“The size of this facility and the tools that we have access to have grown our capabilities dramatically,” Davidson said. “…We are grateful BVHS put this together and listened to the doctors regarding what we had to say and how we wanted to design it. I think it’s a great addition to the community, a great long-term solution for what we needed – all on one campus, under two roofs.”

Wellness Park is a $40 million group of facilities located at 3401 and 3411 Wellness Way (formerly Technology Drive) just off I-75. This new health campus is part of $140 million in advancements BVHS is bringing to the community, including major improvements to The Armes Cancer Care Center, as well as additional projects.

The vision for Wellness Park began in 2021 as health system leaders identified the need to expand primary care, address aging buildings, and accommodate for growth in orthopedics, endocrinology, and rheumatology. The multi-specialty facility – opened in January – is designed to provide collaborative, comprehensive care in one centralized location.

In addition to primary care, orthopedics, rheumatology, and endocrinology, other services housed at Wellness Park are diabetes management, physical, occupational, and speech therapy, and imaging and laboratory services. Two new services – podiatry and sports medicine – are now available there. Julie Cole Rehab & Sports Medicine has moved to Wellness Park with upgraded capabilities, even a sports court to practice and assess athletes’ return to competition. The campus also celebrates a pediatric rehabilitation area – a completely new specialty offered by the health system – which has already led to life-changing strides for area children.

A portion of Wellness Park’s new pediatric rehabilitation area

The sports rehab court in the physical therapy area at Wellness Park, where athletes can practice and be assessed for return to sport

Kelly Shroll, chief operating officer, BVHS

With its strategic location just off I-75, the facility brings state-of-the-art care to BVHS’s eight-county service region and beyond – essentially to the community’s back door.

“Our goal is to bring people to Findlay for their healthcare needs,” said Kelly Shroll, chief operating officer for BVHS. “The location off I-75 is key, and we believe the physicians we have been able to recruit are excellent. People in our community like to stay close if they can – and this facility is accessible not only to Findlay but to Northwest Ohio.”

Strategy in Motion

Shroll said that in 2021 and into 2022, BVHS began moving forward from the coronavirus pandemic, and leaders assessed the need for expanded and upgraded technology and facilities. Along with project architects, Shroll and Davidson were part of the multidisciplinary team that began to research and evaluate the design of Wellness Park. The team included administrators, physicians, physical therapists, directors, and clerical staff.

Also, as part of moving forward, Karen George, chief development officer for the Blanchard Valley Health Foundation, brought together area leaders and donors to gauge support for the health system’s direction. She discovered great positivity toward Wellness Park, the renovation of The Armes Cancer Care Center, and improved access to multi-specialty care. To date, BVHS’s Capital Campaign Fundraising Plan has raised more than $13 million toward the projects.

Karen George, chief development officer, Blanchard Valley Health Foundation

“The community responded in a really significant way,” George said. “Philanthropically, we’re trying to raise 10 to 20 percent to offset the $140 million the health system will invest. But we’ve had just an amazing response – I am so humbled and grateful to the entire community, and now, with many important large donations already made, we’re in the fund-raising phase where even more people can get in.”

The positive momentum continued when health system leaders scoured location options for the new health campus and found a perfect fit in what is now Wellness Park. The existing buildings were the right size for the number of patients and specialties to serve and offered a savings versus new construction, the parking was great, and it was on the Northwest side of Findlay.

“We could see the potential right away, and we were excited to find a building that met our needs rather than having to build from scratch,” said Shroll, who checked in on progress weekly throughout construction. “We envisioned a campus that was conveniently located and easy to maneuver through. This fit the bill perfectly.”

In their work assessing facility design, Shroll, Davidson and the multidisciplinary team joined the project architects to visit examples of universal care in the Greater Cincinnati area. They studied other designs to gain perspective. BVHS took the process to another level when they erected a 21,142-square-foot cardboard mockup to scale inside the 3411 building to bring ideas to life for full assessment as construction began in the 3401 building.

Providers and healthcare professionals who would be practicing in the buildings were invited to walk through and provide input. The mockup made it easy to see the way desks and computers would be set up, entry points for rooms, patient areas, layout of offices and conference rooms, and things like whether a wheelchair would fit when turning from one hallway to the next. They were able to modify for better visuals throughout to make patient flow more efficient. Many tweaks were incorporated into the final design as a result of the cardboard mockup.

“There were many, many tours, and people were able to make comments and weigh in,” George explained. “I know we changed it many times before we started renovating, and it’s much less expensive to make changes to the mockups than after you have completed construction. I’ve never been involved in a process like that before … I’ve seen renderings and blueprints, but I’ve never seen a cardboard, actual in-full-scale mockup of the space where you say, ‘Oh, that’s not going to work,’ and you fix it – it’s brilliant.”

A Healthy Community

With the completion of Wellness Park, the AFCCC project, and others on the horizon, Findlay and its surrounding communities are positioned to flourish – in more ways than one. A strong health system strengthens the community as a whole.

“Blanchard Valley Health System evaluated the needs of the community and is meeting those needs,” said Chris Keller, director of Findlay Hancock County Economic Development. “Great medical facilities play a crucial role in fostering a thriving, healthy community. Without a strong healthcare system, our job of supporting prosperity and growth in Hancock County would be much more difficult. These developments are extremely positive for our community.”

Furthering the economic boost to the area, local and regional companies were contracted to put it all together. The companies were: Gilbane Building Company, construction manager; ACI (Alvada Construction), general trades contractor; Vaughn Industries, electrical contractor; Warner Mechanical, HVAC & plumbing contractor; PMBA Architects, architects and interior design; Heapy Engineering, mechanical, electrical & plumbing engineering; and Van Horn Hoover & Associates, Inc., civil engineering.

At Wellness Park, Dr. Davidson’s list of positives for the new facility is long – he cites state-of-the-art facilities and technology, more space, improved conference areas, offices more conducive to collaboration, diagnostics all under one roof, and prime location – set up overlooking a serene and therapeutic wooded area – as just a few elements to celebrate. Shroll adds that the new facilities are a draw when recruiting employees, and there is even plenty of room for growth. They look forward to a bright future.

“This is the largest construction project I have been a part of, and it is near and dear to my heart,” Shroll said. “Having it named Wellness Park speaks to health prevention and where healthcare needs to be focused. We want to be thought of not just when you’re sick but when you’re trying to stay healthy. I think it’s very important that people view the medical profession as one of prevention.”