River Valley Hospital

River Valley Hospital in a state of demolition.

River Valley Hospital, formerly known as the Lawrence County General Hospital, was located in Ironton, Ohio and was constructed in 1937. The facility was demolished in 2007 after several years of disuse.

History

Lawrence County General Hospital was constructed in September 1937 as a three-story facility on S. Ninth Street in Ironton, Ohio, later named River Valley Hospital.(2)(14) Ohio’s governor, Martin Davie, placed the building’s cornerstone. It opened with great commotion and excitement, with the American Legion Drum and Bugle Corps leading the way from downtown to the hospital site for the opening ceremonies.(14) The facility was given its benediction complete with prayers, the reading of Bible verses, and songs by the Ironton High School Choir.(13) Planning for the facility began in 1935.

The facility had 65 patient beds, and was expanded in 1948 with a four-story addition adjacent to the hospital’s original structure, which nearly doubled the capacity.(14)

In March 2000, the hospital announced plans to expand the hospital, bringing forth an improved imaging center, an expanded laboratory, a remodeled pharmacy and a new cardiac rehabilitation section. Work on the $5 million improvement project began in late 2000,(12) and would have included plans to relocate the ambulance center elsewhere in the city so that the hospital could be further expanded out front. Future plans were also made for a 20,000 sq. ft. fitness center, including an indoor track, a college-size basketball court and fitness machines and weights.(12)

The hospital closed, however, on January 31, 2001 due to $18 million in debt.(3)(4)(8)(15) Over 400 employees were put out of work at Ironton location and at a psychiatric facility in Portsmouth; over 650 were employed only in 1997.(11) Several parties were interested in the former hospital, including the county, who wanted to use the hospital as a jail and county office site.(8)

Just one month prior, in late December 2000, 10 new trustees were appointed to replace the existing River Valley Health System Board of Trustees in a vein effort to save the hospital.(10) The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 was blamed for the rapidly rising costs of medical care, placing major constraints on community hospitals when funding was cut for people receiving Medicare. Commissioners in November agreed to issue $500,000 in hospital bonds to assist the ailing hospital, which would have allowed the facility to borrow money at a rate as low as 4% and be paid back over a 10-year term.(11)

On April 3, 2001, a temporary billing office opened in the hospital building.(9) The office was an effort to collect several million dollars in outstanding debts owed to the hospital before it closed, including medical bills incurred during the last 10 days the hospital performed medical procedures.

On September 5, 2002, the property was transferred to Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital (OLBH) in a $5 million purchase from a court-appointed receiver.(3)(7) The hospital had been interested in the purchase since the hospital closed in 2001. OLBH’s original intent was to convert a portion of the hospital into an urgent care facility that would offer diagnostic services,(3)(7) but pulled out after it was deemed too expensive.(4) There were also concerns over the boiler and the heating and air conditioning systems.(6) OLBH later opened an urgent care center elsewhere in the city.

In September 2002, the Lawrence County Board of Commissioners requested that the Federal Bureau of Investigations investigate how the River Valley Health System, who operated the hospital until its closure, racked up a massive debt before closure.

In 2003, OLBH announced plans to move the hospital’s finance, accounting department and business personnel to Ironton.(6) The relocation would have brought 50 jobs and $2.7 million in payroll to downtown Ironton, and would occupy the fourth floor of the Ironton City Center building. The plan was shelved in late February 2004, as the hospital cited efficiency reasons.

In 2004, a 40-member committee of local business and community leaders probed possible uses of the facility, which included a medical plaza or medical mall, a long-term care nursing home, an assisted living home for veterans, a broad-based business center, or as a specialized laboratory services or an allied health and medical training facility.(5)

In 2006, the Ironton Port Authority, the Ironton-Lawrence County Community Action Organization and OLBH announced plans to form a public-private partnership for the development of new residential housing on the hospital’s site.(1) OLBH later donated the five-acre hospital site to the Ironton Port Authority, and provided funding and initiated environmental site assessments, and also pledged up to $100,000 in additional funds to help prepare the site for further development.

In early 2007, a $750,000 Clean Ohio Assistance Fund grant from the Ohio Development of Development was awarded to pay for a portion of demolition, asbestos abatement and site preparation.(1) On October 14, OLBH hosted a “Service of Thanksgiving” as a commemoration of the history of the hospital.(1) Several hundred attended the ceremony.(13)

“When the building was built there was a dedication, naturally and then with each addition, there was always a really nice ceremony. They were always well put together. Many of us were born there and many of our relatives died there, so it is a building that I have a lot of attachment to. I think may people in the community have a great attachment to it.”

-Bill Dickens, Ironton Port Authority chairman

Asbestos and chemical cleanup began in May 2008 and should be completed by late July.(15) Demolition of the buildings will begin shortly thereafter.

Upscale housing will be constructed on the site known as Beechwood Place, with the five-acre lot being divided into 23 lots.(13)(15) The entryway will be preserved and located on the site as a permanent memorial to the hospital.(14)

Gallery

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