The plan calls for the Cincinnati Eye Institute to lease the building space from Atrium. CEI will relocate its existing Middletown office situated at 4701 Central Ave. — a move that will double the size of its office, according to the joint press release.
“We are delighted to welcome Cincinnati Eye Institute to the Atrium campus,” said Carol Turner, president and chief executive officer of Atrium Medical Center. “This will strengthen the services offered here, making it more convenient for patients to access care. We look forward to a successful relationship as we work together to better serve the community.”
Services will include comprehensive ophthalmology, ocular plastics, cataract evaluation and surgery, glaucoma, retina and LASIK surgery. The additional space will be used for patient care and extra space needs for staff.
“With easy access right off of Hwy. 75, expanded space, and a growing need for services, we are confident that this move will benefit our patients well into the future,” said Clyde F. Bell, chief executive officer of the Cincinnati Eye Institute. “All of us at Cincinnati Eye Institute are looking forward to joining the unique Atrium Medical Center campus, which provides an array of services to the community.”
Don Holmes, vice president of marketing and business development for CEI, said this move will “absolutely” create more jobs at CEI in Middletown. The current location in Middletown has six ophthalmologists, four optometrists and a staff of up to 20, he said.
“We will add more clinicians, technicians, administration and doctors,” Holmes said.
Holmes added that CEI has had a long-standing relationship with Atrium, even before 2007 when it was Middletown Regional Hospital. He said physicians at Atrium have referred patients to CEI for years.
The new CEI location will be located next to the Bidwell Surgery Center, to the north of the hospital on Innovation Drive, according to Sharon Howard, hospital spokeswoman. CEI also has Butler County offices in Hamilton and Fairfield.
This is the first new, freestanding construction on the Atrium campus since the opening of the Greentree Health Science Academy in 2011.
The Greentree academy was founded by Atrium, Miami University and the Warren County Career Center — with added partner Cincinnati State Technical and Community College — to offer high school programs, industry credentials and various levels of degrees.
The Journal-News previously reported that Atrium Medical Center is constructing its Wound Care Center and Hyperbaric Services inside the professional office building on the campus. The wound care center will occupy 3,000 square feet inside the first floor once it opens in August, according to Atrium.
In April, Premier Health, which operates Atrium, also opened a freestanding emergency department with ancillary services in Mason. Last October, Atrium and Edgewood City Schools celebrated the opening of Atrium Health Center Trenton on the campus of Edgewood City Schools to offer laboratory testing, medical imaging, cardiology and physical therapy, among others.
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