One of the region’s biggest hospital networks plans to close its Xenia hospital and open a new medical center in the city.
Kettering Health released a statement Tuesday, Aug. 6, announcing plans to replace Greene Memorial Hospital with a new $44 million medical center on Progress Drive, to be called Kettering Health Xenia.
“We are honored by the trust and support that the residents of our Xenia community have placed in Kettering Health,” Kettering Health CEO Mike Gentry said in the statement. “As the health care landscape continues to change, the focus we place on our patients and meeting community health needs is the strongest way we can express our deep gratitude.”
But Xenia city leaders say they do not support this new plan, and are worried that it will discourage competition in Greene County's health care market and negatively impact access to care.
"The City does not support this approach and sees this move for what it is—a further reduction in services that will force our residents to seek basic healthcare outside of Greene County and displace current Greene Memorial Hospital employees," said Xenia City Manager Brent W Merriman, in a statement shared with WYSO.
All Kettering Health Greene Memorial employees will be offered similar employment in Greene County, mostly at Kettering Health Xenia, according to the health network.
This move comes after city of Xenia leaders voiced concerns about conditions at Greene Memorial, saying they have seen a systematic decrease in staffing, reduction of services and general decline in condition.
Kettering Health acquired Greene Memorial Hospital in 2007. Then in 2012, the network opened a new hospital, Soin Medical Center, 10 miles away in the wealthier city of Beavercreek.
In the decade since, Kettering Health closed many of the major services at the Xenia hospital:
- In 2009, the hospital closed its labor and delivery unit.
- In 2012, the inpatient psychiatric unit and rehabilitation services closed.
- In 2020, the ICU and surgery center closed.
Meanwhile, the Xenia hospital had been supported for years by millions in tax dollars annually through two levies. This includes one levy that expired in 2021 and another that expired in 2023. This year is the last year that the second levy will be collected.
Greene County leaders had grown critical of the levies amid these service closures.
The city of Xenia leaders said in a letter to Kettering Health that they remained patient and loyal while Kettering Health expanded in other parts of the Miami Valley.
"Years of waiting for a long-term commitment have now led to a decade of inaction and unfulfilled promises, all the while, health care positions were eliminated or relocated from GMH and community care has steadily declined," the letter states.
City leaders proposed what they call an “exit ramp” for Kettering Health.
This would involve transitioning ownership of the hospital to the city, and either divesting the healthcare provider's properties or marketing them for additional development.
New plans
The health network says the new medical center will feature an emergency room alongside imaging services and breast cancer screenings.
Kettering Health says the new project is expected to take two years to complete.
Meanwhile the existing campus, Kettering Health Greene Memorial, will continue providing patient care.
"Throughout this project, we will continually evaluate how additional service offerings may best support patient access across Greene County," the network stated.
