“We’re supposed to be completed with that facility in early December,” said Dale Brunner, YMCA of Greater Dayton president and CEO.
Dahla Bruce, project manager for Ferguson Construction, the building is constructed. Ferguson Construction is focusing on some of the final finishes, including painting, flooring, and getting partners and their equipment set up in their spaces in the new building, she said.
“We’re super excited, not only as Ferguson Construction, but I am a member of this community, so I am so excited to have this YMCA here — not only as a YMCA, but other various tenants as well,” Bruce said.
Premier Health, which owned Good Sam, closed the hospital in 2018 and demolished all of the structures on the site, except for a multi-story parking garage. Phoenix Next, the community board that is providing guidance on where the project goes next, is working with Urban Design Associates to come up with a reuse plan for the parking garage.
“I think the community is seeing that Premier stands behind its word, and we’re moving forward to help redevelopment,” said Duane Martin, Premier Health’s chief corporate compliance and enterprise risk officer.
Phoenix Next is a collaboration between Premier Health and the city of Dayton, and it has an oversight board that is helping with that redevelopment. Phoenix Next held meetings with community members, Martin said.
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Previous estimates for the building’s cost were at $17 million, but the cost increased to $18.1 million by the end of its build. The cost was paid for through new market tax credits, along with public and private funding. Premier Health made a $15 million commitment over a 10-year period in support of future Phoenix Next-approved activities, which will be matched by $15 million from the city of Dayton through traditional public fund sources, according to Phoenix Next.
The new building has created approximately 25 to 30 new jobs, Martin said. The previous hospital had approximately 1,600 employees when it closed five years ago, and they were all offered positions at other Premier Health locations. Most accepted those new positions at different locations, he said.
Premier Health YMCA has planned hard hat tours to allow the public to see the facility prior to its opening for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Nov. 4, Nov. 11, and Dec. 2.
Half of the building, or approximately 25,000 square feet, will be for the YMCA of Greater Dayton, and Premier Health will have almost 15,000 square feet of space, he said. CareSource, Goodwill, and County Corp will be three of the other partners, and they are working on securing another partner for additional shell space they have available in the building.
CareSource, a Dayton-based nonprofit health insurance company that primarily manages Medicaid plans, will open its first CareSource Health Hub at the new Premier Health YMCA.
“CareSource has decided to really make this a focus on prevention and wellness,” said Dr. Judith Davis, vice president of clinical operations for CareSource.
In addition to meeting space and a children’s area, the CareSource Health Hub will have a kitchen where they can teach people how to manage their chronic conditions, like diabetes and hypertension, while on a budget.
“We’re going to have one-on-one spaces where we can address things like social determinants of health, and our goal is to pull back some of the rates that we’re seeing,” Davis said. “We’re seeing a 30-year life expectancy difference between this community and a community just 10 miles down the road.”
CareSource wants to pull back from the sick care model, in which patients get treatment for symptoms after they get sick instead of addressing overall health and well-being prior to patients developing illnesses.
“We’re going to enter in this community a wellness and prevention model right in our space,” Davis said.
CareSource will have community health workers who are from the north Dayton community at this location to help their members learn how they can maximize their benefits. They will also be able to provide members with new ID cards.
In addition to cooking lessons, they also plan to offer Women’s Centering Classes and other courses aimed at women’s and maternal health.
“We know there’s a maternal health crisis, and we want to address this,” Davis said.
The YMCA of Greater Dayton has similar partnerships with Premier Health at two locations and then another hospital network at four locations, he said.
“We’re very familiar with this,” Brunner said. “We have partners in every one of our buildings.”
CareSource, Goodwill, and County Corp will be inside the front of this new building prior to visitors reaching the YMCA’s front desk.
“It’s the first time we’ve done it that way,” Brunner said.
The YMCA of Greater Dayton will offer a full-service club at this location, including a gym and swimming pool. Premier Health will offer various services out of this building, including physical therapy, cardiology services, lab services, and other health care services.
Across the street, there is also a federally-qualified health center from Five Rivers Health Centers, who is also a partner with Premier Health on this new building, Martin said.
“Anything we’re doing around that campus will incorporate them and compliment the services that are provided there. This is a collaborative effort to make sure the community gets what they need,” Martin said.
Staff Writer Cornelius Frolik contributed to this story.
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