Ohio State Outpatient Care Dublin takes medical center’s mission to more people

If you look strictly at the numbers, the newly christened Ohio State Outpatient Care Dublin is impressive.

The $161.2 million, 272,000-square-foot building is the second of three care centers included in The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center’s strategic expansion of outpatient services. Experts from 22 specialties, including allergy and immunology, cardiology, diabetes and endocrinology, primary care, orthopedics and physical therapy, will diagnose and treat patients on-site, and some 450 faculty and staff will provide more than 100 services.

There were already 28,000 appointments scheduled before the building opens to the public on Aug. 3.

But beyond the statistics, the outpatient care center is primed to change the way people in central Ohio and beyond think about health care.

“It’s not just a new building, it’s a new way of delivering care,” says L. Arick Forrest, MD, MBA, medical director of Ambulatory Services. He’s also a graduate of nearby Dublin Coffman High School, which makes opening this facility in his hometown a personal connection for him. “We want to achieve optimal health for our patients, and we want to provide care where and when patients need it.”

“This is the way that health care needs to be delivered.”

The goal is to offer patients access to the advanced health care of Ohio State’s nationally ranked experts in a convenient community setting – right in their own neighborhood.

The first such facility – Ohio State Outpatient Care New Albany – opened last summer at the corner of state Route 161 and Hamilton Road in northeast Columbus, and another is in the planning stages for Powell, anticipated to open in 2025.

“Many surveys and studies have demonstrated that convenient access is one of the key factors in ensuring patients get the health care they need,” says The Ohio State University President Kristina M. Johnson, PhD. That’s particularly important when it comes to preventive care because it improves outcomes and keeps people healthier in the long term – even saving lives.”

The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center welcomed the community on Saturday to an open house at the Dublin facility, where they could take self-guided tours and participate in health and wellness activities, food, giveaways and fun for the whole family.

Guests of all ages were invited to contribute to a collaborative community art piece – a large wall mural of handprints that will be displayed in the lobby. This project is in collaboration with the City of Dublin Parks and Recreation.

“For generations to come, this new outpatient care center will contribute significantly to the well-being of our citizens, and to the social and economic vitality of our city,” says Dublin Mayor Jane Fox. “It can be difficult for our citizens to get down to main campus, but having the convenience of all of the services within your own community just means that we’ll take care of each other better.”

A highlight of the new facility is Ohio State’s Advanced Urgent Care services, where patients can walk in (or schedule an appointment) for treatment of serious, non-life-threatening injury or illness. Advanced Urgent Care has a unique advantage of offering treatment from emergency medicine clinicians, without the long wait times and high cost of visiting an emergency department.

At the Dublin and New Albany locations, patients can have multiple appointments with different health care providers all in the same place, and often on the same day. They can take care of all their major health care needs, from prevention to surgery, in just one building.

“This is a tremendous flagship for Ohio State and the Wexner Medical Center,” says Robert H. Schottenstein, who spoke at the event on behalf of the Wexner Medical Center Board.

Located at 6700 University Blvd. near U.S. Route 33 and Avery Road, Outpatient Care Dublin also provides an outpatient surgery center for procedures such as same-day joint replacement, cosmetic vein treatment, interventional radiology, orthopedic surgery, ear nose and throat procedures and vascular surgery. An on-site pharmacy allows patients to leave with their medications in hand.

In addition, the center offers advanced imaging services, diagnostic testing and mammography services, as well as cancer screening and diagnosis from the experts at the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute.

“As an academic medical center, we have a unique responsibility to not just serve the patients who come through our door every day, but to cure the disease that the patient is presenting with,” says Jay Anderson, chief operating officer. “And we have a unique opportunity to do it in a world-class way that provides great access.”

Learn more about Ohio State Outpatient Care Dublin