CANTON, Ohio (Dec. 4, 2018) -- Officials from Aultman Health Foundation today shared details of a letter of intent (LOI) the organization submitted to Mayor Kathy Catazaro-Perry on Oct. 29 that is designed to restore the community’s access to important clinical care and support growth and development in the city of Massillon. Aultman representatives met with members of Massillon City Council on Monday evening to review the terms of the LOI.

The LOI spells out the details of a plan designed to extend additional health care services to the city following the closure last February of Affinity Medical Center. Provisions of the proposal include:

• Aultman West will be renamed Aultman Massillon.
• Aultman estimates a planned investment to be $8 million for facility and service expansion.
• At the centerpiece of the project will be a fully staffed 24/7 emergency department at the Aultman West location. Additional services will include:
  • Observation beds for chest pain and other medical conditions that do not require hospitalization.
  • Expanded imaging and lab services.
  • Dedicated transportation services to transport patients between facilities.
  • Telestroke services connected to stroke physician specialists.

Aultman has begun the initial phases of this expansion. The project will take approximately nine months to complete, and when finished, Aultman expects to add up to 80 jobs at Aultman Massillon.

In addition, Aultman has offered the city $2.06 million in funding to facilitate community development efforts on the Affinity campus in the city of Massillon. Aultman is also proposing to take over the lease at 4455 Dressler Road. Massillon officials will decide on whether to accept Aultman’s financial offer.

“We understand the community’s passionate desire to maintain access to critical health care services,” said Ed Roth, president and CEO, Aultman Health Foundation. “We believe this proposal maintains the accessibility and familiarity of a local health care provider while doing so in a way that is fiscally responsible for all parties involved. Aultman already provides care and services to many Massillon and western Stark County residents; this proposal will help to bring the community’s access to our entire network of services, physicians and facilities closer to their homes.”

About Aultman
The Aultman Health Foundation is a nonprofit health care organization serving Stark and surrounding counties. The integrated health care system includes Aultman Hospital, Aultman Orrville Hospital, Aultman Alliance Community Hospital, the locally managed health insurance provider AultCare, The Aultman Foundation and Aultman College. With 1,032 beds, over 700 active physicians and a team of more than 7,000 employees, Aultman is Stark County's largest provider of health care services. For more information, visit www.aultman.org.