Skip to content
February 17, 2021

TriHealth Receives $10 Million Donation for Creation of New Heart Hospital

Share

TriHealth – the Cincinnati region’s nationally recognized integrated health system made up of six hospitals and more than 140 sites of care – will break ground on the new TriHealth Heart Hospital on the Bethesda North campus on February 25, 2021. The project is being made possible by a $10 million gift to the Bethesda Foundation by Harold and Eugenia Thomas – the second time the Thomases have donated that amount for a major TriHealth project.

 

The Heart Hospital is the culmination of TriHealth’s vision and strategy to develop the region’s destination cardiac program, which begin three years ago when TriHealth brought its two cardiac surgery programs – at Good Samaritan Hospital and Bethesda North Hospital – under one roof. The project will add another 40,000 square feet of best-in-class clinical space to the Bethesda North Campus and will modernize another 80,000 square feet of existing space. Construction of the first phase is expected to take 18 months to complete, with an anticipated grand opening in the Summer of 2022.

 

The TriHealth Heart Hospital will increase capacity for all cardiac services. This includes adding to the number of procedural labs (cardiac catheterization, vascular, interventional radiology, and neurosurgery and Electrophysiology) and associated pre- and post-procedural space. The number of beds in the cardiovascular intensive care unit will also be increased and rooms will be modernized. Another hybrid operating room will be built to accommodate multidisciplinary procedures addressing structural heart conditions, atrial fibrillation, and stroke. The Heart Hospital will be home to TriHealth’s new Advanced Heart Failure Center and left ventricular assist device (LVAD) program.

 

“This historic project is yet another milestone in TriHealth’s evolution into a truly integrated health care system—capable of managing and improving the health our community--by delivering one extraordinary standard of quality, safety, service and value across the full continuum of our six hospitals, 14 major ambulatory campuses, and more than 140 sites of care,” said TriHealth President and Chief Executive Officer Mark C. Clement. “The impact on outcomes has already become evident, as the newly combined TriHealth Cardiac Surgery Program on the campus of Bethesda North was the only program in the region to earn a 3-Star Rating – the highest quality rating – from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) last year, placing it among the top 10% of cardiac surgery programs nationally for mortality and clinical outcomes.”

 

“This investment in cardiac care will be a game changer for the region,” said Stephen Lewis, MD, Cardiovascular System Chief. “Patients needing hospital care in the future will increasingly require a multidisciplinary team approach as age and acuity increases, and the TriHealth Heart Hospital will be perfectly positioned to make this innovative care model a reality.”

 

While Good Samaritan Hospital continues to provide a full array of services to the community, including cardiology, the consolidation of the cardiac surgery program has enabled TriHealth to establish similar destination Centers of Excellence at Good Samaritan – such as neurosurgery, stroke care and women’s health services.

 

“TriHealth continues to invest in its two flagship hospitals – Good Samaritan and Bethesda North – to enhance these best-in-class specialty services,” said Clement. “This is another exciting step in TriHealth’s journey to get health care right – right care at the right time in the right location to deliver the right outcomes, all to deliver better care, better health and better value.”

 

The Harold & Eugenia Thomas Comprehensive Care Center on the campus of Bethesda North Hospital, which was enabled by a $10 million donation from the Thomases, opened in January 2020. The Thomas Center serves as a destination campus for multidisciplinary cancer and cardiology care, supporting the total health and well-being of both patients and family members. Even after the opening of the Heart Hospital, outpatient cardiology services will continue to be offered at the Thomas Comprehensive Care Center, just a few short steps away from the TriHealth Heart Hospital.

 

“This transformational gift was born out of the success of the Thomas Comprehensive Care Center, which was opened last year, and the Thomases’ desire to help improve health care throughout the Cincinnati region,” said Bethesda Foundation President Andy Swallow. “We are deeply grateful for their support of TriHealth and the Bethesda North campus, and for their commitment to the health and well-being of our community.”