The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
New inpatient tower: Advanced care for fast-growing region

Narrator:  The new inpatient tower on the main campus of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center signals the future of advanced care for our fast-growing region. Opening in 2026, the state-of-the-art tower will be the newest addition to our main campus, along with our expert care in heart, cancer and neurology.  

The new inpatient Tower will provide coordinated care for every patient whether receiving treatment for a routine sickness or a rare condition. 

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Preliminary design, not final] 

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WeÕre excited for the new special touches weÕll be able to offer for women and infants and all of our patients and families needing extra support.

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Life-changing research
Quality patient care
Enhanced clinical training]

The new inpatient Tower is designed to highlight Ohio StateÕs strength as the region's only academic health center to offer life-changing research, quality patient care and enhanced training for tomorrow's healthcare professionals. 

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Population to increase 15% in 10 years] 

Central Ohio has grown more than 15 percent in the last decade. 

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Population to increase 1 million by 2050]

By 2050, another 1 million people will be calling the Columbus area home. 

Ohioans are aging and having age-related health problems like heart attacks, strokes, and dementia. These are best treated by an academic health center like Ohio State where unique research studies and medical expertise come together for the most up-to-date treatment options. 

By 2030, older Ohioans will account for more than a quarter of Ohio's population Ð 26.3 percent up from 19.8 percent in 2010. Hospitals throughout the region depend on The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center as the place to send their patients who need access to the highest-level critical care services and specialists. 

Every day, the medical center is near full capacity and there's often a wait for patients to transfer from small community hospitals. Additionally, the COVD-19 pandemic showed us how quickly a community's dependence on large health systems like Ohio StateÕs can shift. 

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Preliminary design, not final]

To meet the communityÕs current and future needs, the new inpatient tower is designed to be flexible and adaptive. It allows for expansion to meet our community's needs whether that be receiving treatment for a heart problem, a rare type of cancer or bringing a new life into the world. 

The facility promotes healing in patient rooms and public spaces that encourage rest in recovery. Natural light floods and fills the lobby, public spaces and 820 private patient rooms. A large window 9 feet tall and 9 feet wide in each patient room offers light as well as spectacular views. Here you can see the use of windows in the hallway that guides visitors across a bridge that connects the Wexner Medical Center garage and the new inpatient tower.

The building further promotes healing with spaces for reflection and connection to nature. 

At Ohio State, we lead the region in caring for women with high-risk pregnancies. Our goal is to support all our moms and babies, including the most medically complex cases during labor, delivery and postpartum. The women and infant floors bring our nationally recognized Obstetrics and Gynecology department and the neonatal Intensive Care Unit, managed in partnership with Nationwide Children's Hospital together, with all of the latest and greatest for our mothers and babies. 

The new labor and delivery rooms will have operating rooms with the latest technology to care for mothers and babies during delivery.  After delivery, mothers and babies will be able to stay together in large private daylit rooms to encourage important bonding vital for babies to thrive. The new inpatient tower has expedited elevator access and scenic views for mothers and babies. 

The facility is tripling the number of airborne infection isolation rooms. This will allow any patient with a contagious sickness to be safely isolated from other patients while still getting the care they need to heal. Every inpatient unit will have at least one of these rooms ensuring all service areas can treat their most complex patients.

The new inpatient tower will be just one part of the care many of you will receive from us. 

Through home health, neighborhood outpatient care, and virtual and telehealth services, the medical center is bringing its nationally ranked care closer to where people live. You can rely on these convenient services for preventative care, urgent care, and ongoing treatment for chronic conditions for a lifetime.  

But for the most critical cases, when a family member needs a life-saving transplant or surgery, when a new mother with preeclampsia delivers a premature baby, when community hospitals have patients to transfer, and when the region faces a public health crisis, the new inpatient tower will be there to provide the highest level of care when the community needs it most.  

The new inpatient tower was able to issue its bond as a green bond due to the significant sustainability features of this space:

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The Green Bond Principles
Ð Energy and water efficient design
Ð Technology for efficient waste removal/recycling
Ð Using natural light & connecting with nature]
 
Energy and water efficient design, investing in technology to allow for diverting significant amounts of food waste, and designing key spaces to recycle items such as specialty plastics from our operating rooms, and harvesting natural light and connecting to nature, such as the outdoor green terrace attached to the cafŽ.

The new inpatient tower at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center will deliver the highest level of care for generations to come from the moment its doors open in 2026 by elevating the standards for technology and safety, by expanding access to Ohio State's physicians and services, by giving everyone in your family, your community and your state access to world-class care.