City of Amherst, Ohio: Info on Cleveland Ave Infrastructure Improvements
May 29, 2011
The following is a release from the City of Amherst Ohio regarding the scheduled 2011 infrastructure improvements on Cleveland Avenue and Harris Street:
Dear Resident/Business Owner:
Cleveland Avenue and Harris Street is being reconstructed in two parts this year. The Contractor for the Part 1 improvements is Buckeye Excavating. Onsite inspection will be provided by the City’s Engineering Consultant, Bramhall Engineering and Surveying Company, Inc. The work is scheduled to begin on or around May 31. Driveways will be temporarily inaccessible at times. Businesses and residents are encouraged to make arrangements with neighbors for temporary parking.
Part One: Infrastructure
Scope of work includes:
Sanitary–Intermittent replacement, lining, laterals re connections, manhole replacement and rehab; Storm sewer intermittent replacement, catch basin replacement, box culvert repair; Waterline replacement at a box culvert.
Electric–Relocating some overhead to underground near Marathon Gas Station, adding street lighting and electrical conduits from 5 points east of Lincoln Street.
Construction Schedule: May 2011 through mid-July 2011.
Part Two: Pavement Rehabilitation
Scope of work includes:
Replacing and adjusting casting to grade; Drive apron replacement
Intermittent curb replacement; full depth pavement repairs
ADA compliant ramps; Mill the existing asphalt/concrete pavement and replace with asphalt
Widen the Northeast corner of North Main and Cleveland Avenue.
Construction Schedule: Mid-July 2011 through September 2011.
Work Hours shall be 7 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday, with the occasional Saturday from 8 AM to 5 PM and occasional night work. Two-way traffic (one lane in each direction) will be maintained as much as possible, however there will be detours posted during work hours throughout the duration of the project. Short periodic delays can be expected through the work zone.
Please direct your questions first to the onsite inspector, or you may also contact the onsite foreman or the City of Amherst Ohio as follows:
Jim Elkin, Onsite Inspector, Bramhall Engineering and Surveying Company, Inc., Phone Number (440) 343-6392
Jeff Nickoli, On Site Foreman, Buckeye Excavating, Phone Number (419) 541-1780
Ron Merthe, Superintendent of Utilities, City of Amherst, Phone Number (440) 320-3436
EMH Statement On Closing Of Amherst Ohio Hospital
May 10, 2011
THE FUTURE DESIGN OF HEALTHCARE, THE FUTURE DESIGN OF THE EMH AMHERST FACILITY
For the past 17 years Amherst Hospital has been an important part of EMH Healthcare. For the past 94 years Amherst Hospital has been an important part of the Amherst community. With this kind of legacy our mission and objective in planning for the future was clear: create a way to utilize the facility that will allow it to play an important role in the delivery of healthcare for years to come. We are confident our plan will help make that happen.
We are one year into healthcare reform, one year into one of the most significant changes ever made to the model for the delivery of healthcare in America. To remain strong, as the model changes we must change. We must create a structure that positions us to meet the needs of patients across the continuum. All of America must do a better job of caring for patients to help prevent the need for hospitalization. For patients who need hospitalization we must learn how to safely discharge them sooner and provide post discharge care in a high quality, safe, efficient and effective manner. We are confident our plan will help make that happen.
Under healthcare reform we need to have convenient access points for acute healthcare needs;there will be less need for inpatient beds (the greater Cleveland area already has less than atwo-thirds utilization rate of its hospital beds); and with earlier discharges from the hospital we need to be prepared to take care of patients who require higher levels of care post discharge.We are confident our plan will help make that happen.
Starting this July we will no longer provide inpatient hospital care at our Amherst facility. We will also be closing our surgery department for both inpatient and outpatient procedures. We know this will not compromise care for local patients because there is sufficient capacity to meet these needs at our EMH Elyria Medical Center or at other hospitals in the area.
The entire EMH system extends its thanks to the many skilled and caring staff at Amherst who over the years have done an exceptional job of meeting the needs of the patients and the medical staff. Your contributions have made a healthy and positive impact on the lives you have touched.
To the loyal patients who have used Amherst over the years we extend a most sincere thank you. To the loyal physicians who have served patients at Amherst for many years we thank you for your outstanding dedication and service. We welcome you to our EMH Elyria Medical Center campus for your inpatient and surgical needs and hope you give us the opportunity to continue meeting your needs there.And now let us set our vision on the future.
First and foremost, we will continue to provide a 24 hour a day, 365 days per year full serviceemergency department at Amherst. Last year we serviced 15,213 emergency patients at Amherst. We know with the changes healthcare reform will bring the number we need to serve will likely grow for years to come. As with other “free standing” emergency departments, such as the one we operate in Avon, patients requiring hospitalization can be safely transported to other hospitals for admission.We will continue to provide outpatient laboratory and imaging (i.e. X-ray) services at our Amherst facility. This helps ensure easy access to these commonly needed services for patients in Amherst and the surrounding communities.Our second floor will continue to house The Specialty Hospital of Lorain which is a long term acute care facility. It serves the needs of patients stable enough to be discharged from the hospital but who require more intensive services than can be provided in a skilled nursing facility (nursing home).
Other services that will remain on the Amherst campus include: pharmacy, patient registration,environmental services, dietary services, maintenance, and security services. Central supply and rehabilitative services will move to the Elyria campus.
Our highly acclaimed orthopedic total joint replacement service, also known as “Joint Camp”, will be added to our already strong orthopedic service in Elyria. We will continue to provide thesame high level of clinical outcomes and service to our joint replacement patients while at thesame time benefiting from the improved efficiencies of combining our orthopedic surgicalservices together under one roof.Likewise, our successful Acute Care for the Elderly (ACE) unit, an inpatient unit designed tomeet the special needs of elderly patients requiring hospitalization, will be combined with ourACE unit in Elyria.
The space previously occupied by the medical surgical unit on the third floor, as well as the Joint Camp and much of the surgical area on the first floor will be converted to support a skilled nursing facility.
Depending on the final design chosen, it will be able to accommodate between 40-60 nursing home type beds.The unique combination of services that will be positioned at the Amherst facility will provide for enhanced flexibility, efficiencies, and safety for patients requiring extended post hospital care. By being located within the same building as an emergency department, laboratory, and imaging services these patients will have immediate access to higher levels of service than are available at most other skilled nursing and long term acute care facilities.
No transition plan comes without its difficulties and challenges. With the temporary closing of several areas at Amherst there will unfortunately be some loss of jobs. We have done everything possible to keep that number to a minimum but know any job lost is a hardship to those affected. To help minimize the impact, many of the employees displaced at Amherst will have the opportunity to apply for open positions in Elyria. Of the approximately 50 full and part time employees who will have their positions impacted, as many as half are qualified for positions on the EMH Elyria Medical Center campus.
For those not so fortunate or those that choose to go elsewhere we will provide severance packages and career transition services.Once renovation of Amherst is completed in the first quarter of 2012 and the new operations are in full swing, an estimated 80-100 new jobs will be created on that campus. And most importantly, the Amherst facility will be well positioned for long term success under the new model for the delivery of healthcare in America and remain an important asset to the Amherst community.