MetroHealth Partners With Metroparks, Announces Changes To Senior Care

MetroHealth shared new details about its campus renovation and a vision for the health system at its Annual Stakeholders Meeting Thursday evening at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.

The hospital system is currently renovating its 52-acre campus in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood on Cleveland’s west side. The new campus will include the Glick Center, a new 11-floor hospital, and a direct link to the Cleveland Metroparks portion of the Towpath Trail.

MetroHealth officials describe its campus as a “hospital in the park,” due to the green space and walking paths that will be included in the makeover.

The Glick Center construction will be complete in the spring of 2022 with preparation for demolition of the old hospital beginning a few months later. 

 
This video is a rendering of what MetroHealth's campus will look like after renovations. [MetroHealth / Vimeo]

The hospital system's President and CEO, Dr. Akram Boutros, shared his vision for a new partnership between MetroHealth and The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.

Boutros credits the Metroparks with making the region healthier, which is the reason for the partnership, he said in a speech to stakeholders and staff.

"The parks are open to everyone. We visited them nearly 20 million times last year,"  he said. "Those visits keep us healthy. They help us reduce stress and anxiety, lower our blood pressure and heart rate, and boost our immune system. They prevent disease."

Through the partnership, MetroHealth will bring senior health screenings to the free Grandparents Day at the zoo. The plan includes a new Metroparks app that will have fitness tips from MetroHealth staff and health challenges with rewards. 

Boutros announced the opening of a new Senior Health Center that includes many elements traditionally found in a hospital or doctor's office.

 The health center will include a physical therapist, behavioral health specialist, a pharmacist, dietician, podiatrist, and a health coach for seniors. It will include yoga and other health services.

"Imagine this is a doctor's office with an activity room, not a waiting room. An office where the doctor sees five or six patients a day, not 20," Boutros said. "A doctor's office you want to go to, not one you avoid."

MetroHealth will begin offering this type of care at one location in January, which Boutros said is important because the 65+ age group is the fastest growing in the U.S.

The hospital system is currently renovating its 52-acre campus in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood on Cleveland’s west side. This picture is a rendering of what MetroHealth's campus will look like after renovations. [MetroHealth / Vimeo]

Boutros also announced new high-tech, in-home care plans. The program will monitor patients in their homes through sensors that will detect how active a person is and if they are getting enough oxygen. 

If a patient's oxygen levels are dropping, it can alert a care team that can check on the patient in his or her home. 

"Because this patient prefers in-home care, the team stays with him, making sure...that he's really getting better," Boutros said.

MetroHealth also unveiled a new logo and a new tag line: "devoted to hope, health, and humanity."

The logo features the community cross, similar to the American Red Cross, which Boutros said is the universal sign of aid and comfort. The cross is made up of multicolored dots, which he said represents the services MetroHealth provides and its diversity of patients and caregivers.