At a time when rural communities throughout the country are losing access to healthcare because of hospital closures, Athens, Ohio is about to see a significant expansion in healthcare services, reports WOUB.
Next July, Memorial Health System of Marietta plans to open a four-story medical center. Memorial Health already operates two medical offices in Athens, one offering primary care and the other offering specialty services. Athens is also home to O’Bleness Hospital, operated by OhioHealth, which also runs a nearby urgent care facility, as well as another urgent care facility operated by Holzer.
According to the 2020 census, Athens County has a population of 62,431, down 3.6% from a decade ago, while the population of the city of Athens has remained stagnant.
Nevertheless, Jennifer Offenberger, associate vice president of service excellence at Memorial Health System, said there is demand for the expanded services Memorial is planning to offer. Read more.
