On January 13, the excitement around the opening of the new Mercy Health Kings Mills Hospital and medical office building was buzzing through their community open house event. Several FC Cincinnati players were on hand to sign autographs while local groups, clinical service providers and physicians chatted with community members and passed out information. Self-guided tours took visitors throughout the airy, light-filled hospital, with staff stationed at various points to provide additional details as they walked by. It was a warm welcome with almost 1,000 community members attending the four-hour event. On January 20 they opened their doors at 7 a.m. to begin 24/7 care for the first time.
Mercy Health’s 60-bed, state-of-the-art hospital and attached medical office building offer high-quality, close-to-home healthcare services for Mason, Deerfield, Loveland, Maineville, Lebanon and the surrounding communities. These areas have grown exponentially in recent years but lacked an acute care facility in their own backyard. It’s the main reason Mercy Health chose to invest in this community.
“This was an opportunity for us to serve a need and provide a convenient, community hospital in a growing area. In addition to the hospital we’ve also seeded the area with primary care doctors and we have a medical office building which includes several specialties to which residents now have access,” explains Mercy Health Kings Mills Hospital President, Jason Asic.
The hospital offers cardiac and surgical services, emergency care, imaging and critical care, including a cardiac catheterization lab, ICU unit and inpatient beds. Right next door is the medical office building where patients have access to key specialties such as ENT, audiology, general surgery, pulmonology, orthopedics, cardiology and lab services.
“People now have a convenient option where they can receive this level of care in their community, which will lead to quicker medical interventions, easier access and patients staying in the hospital can be closer to home,” says Jason.
A Mercy Health associate since the early 2000s, starting as a lab technologist and then advancing through administrative roles, Jason was also part of the Mercy Health West Hospital opening. “I was able to see how a brand new hospital behaves, grows and the different situations one can encounter and use that knowledge for this hospital,” shares Jason.
He was brought on in the fall of 2020 to begin helping with the Kings Mills Hospital project and with the partnership of Danis Construction and GBBN Architecture they expertly navigated a remote design process and supply chain shortages. They broke ground in 2021 and within two years were able to move into the hospital to prepare for patient care.
“Concepts that were important to us when designing the hospital were flexibility, growth and technology. You need all three of those things working in concert. Technology is such an integral part of anything we do in healthcare, so you have to make sure the infrastructure is there with flexibility for needs changing over time,” explains Jason.
They also focused on features that would immediately make a difference for visitors, such as a warm, welcoming ambiance with lots of natural light and easy wayfinding. “When someone comes in the front doors of our campus, navigating around is very clear and intuitive,” says Jason.
Hiring staff who would not only fill in-demand skilled positions but also help augment and enhance the culture was just as important. “I want to make sure that we’re meeting the community needs and our associates and physicians can do what they do every day to help patients. We’re building a culture where patients want to come here to receive care, physicians want to practice here and staff want to be here,” shares Jason.
Beyond the health and wellness benefits the Kings Mills Hospital brings to residents, economic and workforce contributions are many. The construction process brought more than 200 workers into the area and the hospital currently has 200 associates with a projection to grow to approximately 275 staff between the hospital and medical offices over the next two years.
According to a report by the American Hospital Association, health systems and hospitals have become “economic pillars that create jobs and purchase goods and services from others in their community.” This additional economic activity means that “each hospital job supports nearly two additional jobs.” Additionally, “every dollar spent by a hospital supports $2.30 of additional business activity.”
Jason shares, “The heart of it is, that when we are in a community we are a true partner of the community: from a health, well-being and economic standpoint, as well as outreach and involvement with local institutions and municipal services like fire, EMS, police and area schools. We try to be a good partner to show we are here to interact and help them improve the overall health of the community.” Mercy.com
“This was an opportunity for us to serve a need and provide a convenient, community hospital in a growing area."
"We’re building a culture where patients want to come here to receive care, physicians want to practice here and staff want to be here.”
