The MetroHealth Campus Transformation Continues: Introducing the New
Outpatient Health Center

Explore the Outpatient Health Center Case for Support

In 2015, MetroHealth made the bold and visionary decision to completely reimagine its 56-acre campus, home to Cleveland’s oldest hospital since 1855. With facilities aging, infrastructure deteriorating, and healthcare technologies and care models rapidly advancing, MetroHealth recognized both a challenge and an extraordinary opportunity. The health system could modernize its campus and redefine how care would be delivered for generations to come.

The resulting Campus Transformation Plan set forth an ambitious goal: to impactfully improve the care, the operations and the campus of the medical center while spurring community wellness. Central to this plan were these components: a new hospital, a new ambulatory center, and improved parking and accessibility across campus.

The first phase of the Transformation Plan was the construction of the 11-story, 720,000-square-foot hospital tower, named The Glick Center in honor of the historic $42 million commitment from JoAnn and Bob Glick to improve community health. Opening to patients in November 2022, The Glick Center signaled a new era of compassionate, modern healthcare at MetroHealth.

Even before The Glick Center opened its doors, planning and early construction had begun for the new outpatient facility – another cornerstone of the Transformation Plan.

A Post‑Pandemic Pivot: Redesigning Ambulatory Care for the Future

Like The Glick Center, the Outpatient Health Center was conceptualized before the COVID-19 pandemic, designed to house both ambulatory care and administrative functions. The pandemic, however, challenged healthcare systems throughout the country to redefine care, accelerating the adoption of telehealth and pushing care into outpatient settings to reduce hospital-based exposure. Post pandemic, patients continue to prefer the accessibility and convenience of ambulatory care and advances in technology mean that a growing number of surgeries and cancer treatments no longer require an inpatient stay.

Construction on the ambulatory project was paused to ensure that the new center was designed to best serve the future healthcare needs of the community. Every service line and program was reexamined. Caregivers and staff at all levels of the organization provided input. Based on this strategic process, MetroHealth pivoted on the project.

A New Vision: Putting Patients at the Heart of the Building

While the exterior of the building remained unchanged, the new interior design was completely reimagined. All previously planned administrative spaces were removed, allowing MetroHealth to redesign the facility with patients as its focus. This enabled the team to:

• Expand key clinical programs, adding over 70 exam rooms, 11 procedure rooms and doubling the number of infusion bays
• Create purpose-built spaces tailored to the unique needs of programs and services
• Adopt a “guest-focused” approach, with calming, welcoming, efficient patient-facing areas supported by seamless behind-the-scenes operational spaces
• Maximize clinical flexibility, including the ability to accommodate bedbound inpatients for treatments and procedures
• Strengthen MetroHealth’s academic mission with dedicated resident workspaces in each clinical area
• Enhance the positive patient and visitor experience through simplified wayfinding, bright and comfortable waiting spaces, larger exam and treatment rooms, accessible restrooms, and a climate-controlled walkway connected to parking
• Introduce a neighborhood first: a 24/7 drive-thru pharmacy, helping patients quickly fill prescriptions with round-the-clock convenience.

The new Outpatient Health Center will welcome its first patients in June 2026, ushering in a landmark moment in MetroHealth’s transformation and expanding access to state‑of‑the‑art care for the community.

For more information, please contact Greg Sanders, Vice President of Philanthropy, at 440‑592‑1319 or gsanders@metrohealth.org.