Kettering Health marks new presence in Franklin

Network opens $10 million, 24-hour emergency facility.

Quality emergency care closer to home is the driving message behind the opening of a new freestanding emergency department in Franklin.

Leaders from Kettering Health Network were joined Tuesday with about 200 others to celebrate a ribbon cutting for the end of construction on a $10 million, 12-bed emergency center on Ohio 73, right off Interstate 75.

A public open house from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22, will include tours, a Build-A-Bear workshop for children, a health fair and refreshments. The emergency center will then open for 24-hour business at 8 a.m. Feb. 23.

“In emergency medicine, our goal is to provide care at either the point of injury or the point of illness, and having an emergency department, standalone and in your community, we’ll be able to deliver on that,” said Dr. William Brady, medical director of the emergency center.

Fred Manchur, CEO of Kettering Health Network, said the network’s 24-hour emergency center in Huber Heights has seen a lot of success with residents being able to get treated and back home quickly.

Kettering Health is also finishing up construction on a second $10 million freestanding emergency department to open this year in Eaton.

“Here we’re able to come right into your neighborhood,” Manchur said.

The Franklin emergency center — which will be accredited through Sycamore Medical Center — encompasses 12,000 square feet and will have about 40 employees, including four physicians, registered nurses, respiratory therapists, and imaging and lab technicians, according to the network.

Brady said the physicians and nursing staff are equipped and trained to handle everything from minor emergencies to “worst-day-of-your-life emergencies,” such as severe heart attacks.

All the medical staff were required to have at least two to three years of experience in emergency care, according to nursing staff.

“You need to have strong nurses that can function independently and think on their feet,” said Denise Haynes, RN.

Typical visits to the ED might include broken arms, lacerations, pneumonia and fractures, Brady said. The most critical of patients can be stabilized and moved to Sycamore Medical Center in about 10 minutes.

The facility has integrated electronic medical records that include digital X-ray results, CAT scans, laboratory results and physician dictations, Brady said.

Four of the 12 exam rooms have specialty functions, including Ear, Nose and Throat; a gynecology room with specialized pelvic bed and restroom for sexual assault victims; a dedicated trauma bay; and mental health room with safety and security features.

“What makes us so different from an urgent care … we can handle anything,” said Jan Bennett-Phipps, RN, BSN.

Premier Health is preparing to open this spring an $11.5 million freestanding emergency department in Mason. Atrium Health Center — Mason will have a 13-bed emergency center as well as OB/GYN and primary care offices, physical therapy, cardiology, lab and X-ray.

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