By Dan Hounsell, Senior Editor

Cleveland Clinic recently broke ground at the future site of Cleveland Clinic Mentor Hospital. The new hospital in Mentor will serve patients in Lake and northern Geauga counties.

Cleveland Clinic has eight healthcare locations in Lake County. With the addition of a hospital in early 2023, patients will have access to a full range of services. Mentor Hospital will be managed by Cleveland Clinic Hillcrest Hospital, allowing for seamless access and staffing between facilities.

Mentor Hospital is expected to serve patients who have shorter hospital stays with follow-up care at home, based on their less critical needs. If patients need more acute or specialized care, they will be transferred to the appropriate Cleveland Clinic location, such as Hillcrest Hospital, Euclid Hospital or main campus. A helipad will be built to allow the immediate transport of patients when necessary.

More people prefer to receive care in an office or at-home setting and often choose to do so virtually, so the hospital will provide inpatient, outpatient and emergency care. Focus will be placed on services in digestive diseases and general surgery, urology, heart and vascular medicine, orthopedics and pulmonary care. In addition, there will be on-site laboratory and imaging services.

Cleveland Clinic is investing approximately $80 million to build Mentor Hospital.

The hospital's design will allow flexibility to adapt or expand based on changing and future community needs. When it opens, Mentor Hospital will feature 34 inpatient and observation rooms, 19 emergency department beds, up to 25 outpatient rooms, four operating rooms and 12 pre- and post-anesthesia care beds.