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To meet the growing demand for patient care on Cleveland’s west side, a growing Cleveland Clinic announced plans to significantly expand both Avon Hospital and Richard E. Jacobs Family Health Center. The $340 million project would nearly double the size of the campus, which is located just north of the Interstate 90-Nagel Road interchange in Avon.
The Avon Hospital expansion will feature the addition of a bed tower to increase inpatient capacity, new operating rooms, a larger emergency department, and more lab and imaging space. Opened in 2016 as a five-story, 126-bed facility, Avon Hospital has seen sustained growth in demand for its services over the past nine years. It is located at 33300 Cleveland Clinic Blvd.
“Our region is continuously evolving, and through Cleveland Clinic’s submarket approach, we can adapt to serve patients’ needs as they change,” said Tom Mihaljevic, CEO and president of the Cleveland Clinic, in a written statement.
Construction on the Avon projects is slated to begin in 2026 with completion expected in 2028. Detailed plans will be submitted soon to the city of Avon for design review. A Clinic spokesperson said no land acquisition is needed as the Avon Campus, including the Cleveland Clinic Rehabilitation Hospital-Avon, measures 107 acres, according to Lorain County property records.
“We are proud to share our plans to expand along with this growing area,” he said. “We are committed to all the communities we serve, and projects like this are one of the ways we reinvest back into patient care and our facilities so we can care for more individuals.”
Since 2017, there has been a more than 40 percent increase in surgeries and admissions at Avon Hospital as well as a nearly 75 percent increase in imaging services. The hospital also operates one of the busiest labs in the Cleveland Clinic health system.
Avon Hospital currently offers a wide range of services, including radiology, pharmacy, lab and cardiac catheterization services, an intensive care unit, and a primary stroke center, hospital official said.
“This initiative will increase our ability to bring world-class care to this region,” said Jorge Guzman, president of the Cleveland Clinic Northeast Ohio Market. “The communities in Lorain County have been growing quickly, and we want to ensure patients have access to the care they need close to home. This expansion will allow us to care for more patients and support increasingly complex care.”
To meet the growing need for outpatient services and improve access to preventive and specialty care, Cleveland Clinic also will expand the Richard E. Jacobs Family Health Center with approximately 90 additional exam rooms and the expansion of cancer services, including radiation oncology.
Opened in 2011, the family health center provides advanced specialty and primary care, an outpatient surgery center, a chemotherapy infusion center, an imaging center, and a large physical therapy area with two pools for aquatic therapy.
Additionally, there are plans to add a parking garage to the Avon campus, which will ensure convenient access for patients, visitors, and staff as the facilities expand their services. The location and size of this garage facility has not yet been determined, said a Clinic spokesperson.
“This expansion is one example of how we’re committed to supporting our west side communities,” said Neil Smith, president of Cleveland Clinic’s West Submarket. “Together with important construction and initiatives taking place at Fairview Hospital, we will be well-positioned to provide comprehensive, quality care for years to come in this area.”
Work on a new cancer center, medical office building and parking garage at Fairview Hospital in Cleveland is anticipated to begin later this year. Together with the Avon campus project, this represents a $600 million investment in Cleveland Clinic’s west submarket. Philanthropy will also assist in accelerating progress and achieving success.
In 2016, the 108-year-old Lakewood Hospital was shut down by Cleveland Clinic, the Lakewood Hospital Association and the Lakewood City Council, citing financial losses. Most of the hospital’s services were moved to Avon and the Lakewood facility was replaced by a family health center with a 24-hour emergency department.
The Lakewood Hospital buildings were demolished in 2019-2020 to make way for a mixed-use redevelopment which has yet to happen. City planning officials told NEOtrans the current $119 million redevelopment plan is still slated for a Third Quarter 2025 groundbreaking, although a specific date has yet to be announced.
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