Summa Health Breaks Ground on Six-Story West Tower

On Monday, May 15, 2017, nearly 300 attendees from across the Greater Akron region gathered with Summa Health leadership and staff to break ground on the new West Tower located on the Summa Health System – Akron Campus.

James McIlvaine, chair, Summa Health board of directors, kicked off the groundbreaking ceremony and was joined by several key community leaders who spoke: Cliff Deveny, MD, president and chief executive officer, Summa Health, James Hardy, chief of staff to city of Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan, and Ilene Shapiro, Summit County executive. Reverend Carl Wallace, co-convener, Akron Faith Community, delivered the invocation and Phylis Ferrara, president, Summa Health Foundation, chief development officer, Summa Health, led the participants in a countdown to the groundbreaking.

In addition, the following leaders attended the ceremony to help mark this important milestone in the health system’s 125-year history of caring for the Greater Akron community:

• Ann Brennan, visionary benefactor and chair, The Campaign for Summa Health
• Don Dreier, executive vice president, Donley’s Inc. 
• Ed Friedl, vice president, construction and property management, Summa Health
• Bob Medzuich, vice president, owner,  Hasenstab Architects – Perspectus Architects Joint Venture
• Stephanie Mickley, nurse anesthetist, Department of Anesthesia, Summa Health
• Ben Sutton, senior vice president, strategy and performance management, Summa Health
• Lanie Ward, MBA, BSN, RN, NEA-BC, senior vice president, chief nursing officer, Summa Health
• Rob Whitehouse, senior vice president, Marketing & Community Relations, Summa Health
• John Zografakis, MD, 2017 medical staff president, Summa Health

The landmark 300,000-square-foot patient tower will create a new main entrance to the Akron campus and serve both as a beautiful addition to the city’s skyline and a reminder of the continued rebirth and revitalization of the city. Set to open in spring of 2019, the tower will include new facilities for Summa Health Women’s Institute programs, modern inpatient rooms and nursing units, and expanded surgical capacity.

The tower represents phase one of the health system’s master facility plan, which was announced in 2016 and highlights investments of up to $350 million in facility improvements across the system over the next five years. The plan underscores the vision at Summa Health for the future of healthcare — a vision grounded in mission-driven principles of keeping people well and improving the overall health of the communities we serve.

We invite you to view photos from the May 15 groundbreaking ceremony below.