OhioHealth eyes approval for $250 million Dublin Methodist expansion

DUBLIN, Ohio (WCMH) -- OhioHealth is advancing plans to expand Dublin Methodist Hospital given the current building "is insufficient to serve the volume of patients," the healthcare provider says.

The health system's final development plan submitted to the city's planning and zoning commission shows that it's aiming to construct a six-story, 206,858-square-foot inpatient tower on the north side of the existing hospital at 7500 Hospital Dr. in Dublin. Doug Scholl, facility planning director for OhioHealth, said the addition is required "to address community needs."

"The current bed capacity is insufficient to serve the volume of patients in the Dublin and Delaware market," Scholl said in a letter to Dublin officials. "To adequately address the increased patient volume, OhioHealth plans to erect a six-story inpatient tower that will include a laboratory and cardiac catheterization laboratory, pharmacy, emergency department, surgical and nutrition services."

Dublin's planning and zoning commission is scheduled to review OhioHealth's final development plan for the six-story tower on Thursday.

The project will add 96 patient beds across four levels, increasing the total bed count from 140 to nearly 240. Additionally, 58,500 square feet of Dublin Methodist will be renovated to modernize the existing facility's critical support and surgical services to recover patients and support a dedicated critical care unit, Scholl said.

OhioHealth announced the $250 million addition in July 2024, boasting the plan as the largest expansion of Dublin Methodist since it opened in 2008. The healthcare provider said in April tower is expected to open in 2028, two years earlier than originally planned, and will create 200 permanent clinical roles alongside hundreds of construction jobs.

"We are extremely grateful and excited for the opportunity to expand our hospital and provide even more exceptional care within," said Cherie Smith, president of Dublin Methodist, in the announcement. "The team at Dublin Methodist has an amazing reputation and we want to create even more space for them to provide exceptional care for our patients."

The announcement came shortly before the state of Ohio granted Provisional Level III Trauma Center status in October 2024 to Dublin Methodist, making it the first and only trauma center in the Dublin area. This process included a program evaluation by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma, and means that Dublin Methodist now provides care for acute injuries and conditions, OhioHealth said.