Next Steps for Good Samaritan Hospital Campus

Activity has recently increased on the Good Samaritan Hospital campus as steps are taken to prepare the property for reuse. Additionally, our goal is to ensure that at least 90 percent of the building materials from the hospital campus will be recycled or repurposed and will not be sent to a landfill.

Deconstruction is anticipated to begin in late April and continue into 2020. No explosives will be used; i.e. no buildings will be imploded. Neighborhood meetings are being held every other month for those who live in the immediate vicinity of the hospital campus to explain the decommissioning and demolition process.

Great care was taken to ensure that items from the hospital were handled in the most appropriate manner possible:

• Religious artifacts have been identified and have been appropriately dispersed to local Catholic parishes, schools, and other Catholic institutions with permission from the Sisters of Charity.
• Nursing school memorabilia such as photographs, alumni artifacts, bronze sculptures, awards, etc. have been preserved.
• Items from the gardens and courtyards are being preserved and relocated to other campuses, primarily Miami Valley Hospital North.
• Premier Health’s hospital campuses and the Premier Health Center in downtown Dayton received several pieces of art from Good Samaritan Hospital’s extensive art collection.
• The final disposition of the Chapel (contents and structural components) is undecided. All significant contents and structural components (wood work, carved doors, shell stone walls, stained glass windows) are being carefully dismantled, packed, and prepared for storage until a final decision is made.

Additionally, equipment valued at more than $50,000 was donated to about 90 nonprofit organizations, all in either the Good Samaritan Hospital neighborhood or in the greater Dayton area. Beneficiaries have included local colleges and universities with clinician training programs; schools; soup kitchens and food pantries; social service organizations; churches and missions; arts organizations; senior centers; and nursing homes. Examples of donated items include skids of latex paint; lightly used or unused ceiling tiles; white boards; toilet paper; and hand sanitizer dispensers.

A vision for the reuse of the 13-acre site was finalized by the Phoenix Next Board in February. These recommendations will serve as a guide for future development, including potential proposals from private developers. This strategic vision will also help give direction to individuals and organizations involved in leveraging investments in the surrounding neighborhoods. Premier Health will contribute several million dollars to the redevelopment of the campus and/or the immediate vicinity. 

Back to the April 2019 issue of Premier Pulse