- A new health operator is preparing to open an emergency room at the former Affinity Medical Center in Massillon.
- The Massillon Community Health and Innovation Center is planning to offer medical services by late spring.
- Services were last provided by Affinity in February 2018, prior to Quorum Health closing the hospital.
MASSILLON – The former city hospital is planning to reopen its doors under a new banner and theme.
The Affinity Medical Center building has a new operator, as the site will be rebranded the Massillon Community Health and Innovation Center. The medical mall at 845 Eighth St. NE is to be anchored by a 24-hour emergency room that could be operational as soon as late spring.
“This (will be) a transformative hub where wellness, innovation and community converge to reimagine healthcare and inspire vitality,” said Chris Zimmerman, the facility’s chief executive officer. “The willpower to do this is 10 out of 10.”
The health center aims to house traditional medical services from licensed practitioners, such as radiology, surgery, rehabilitation, cardiology and hospice care, but also focus strongly on personal vitality, health and wellness, according to Zimmerman.
“We’re not trying to replicate what other hospitals do,” he said during an interview Tuesday with The Independent inside the former Affinity building. “We want to promote the notion for people to take an interest in their own vigor and self-health.”
Mike Farina, the former operator Discount Outlet in Massillon, is the owner of the building and property via Farina Companies. He will not be involved in day-to-day operations of the health facility.
Zimmerman is joined by Chris Milligan, who will serve as president of the center.
Massillon Mayor Jamie Slutz is enthusiastic about the opportunity put forth by Zimmerman and Milligan.
“It’s an exciting plan they have for the facility and will benefit the community,” the mayor said. “To them, it’s not a hospital. It’s an innovation center.”
May or June target opening for ER at Massillon Community Health and Innovation Center
The 24-bed ER — operated by an independent provider — could open as early as May or June along with a handful of related medical services, Zimmerman said.
The facility may also serve as a hub for community activities and programs down the road, Zimmerman said. Ideas include first-responder training, job fairs and business development meetings.
Overall, more than $10 million was spent to restore the inside of the main Affinity building and prepare it for medical services, Zimmerman said.
The facility — totaling six floors and nearly 300,000 square feet — rests on an 11.6-acre property. A two-story professional building, 830 Amherst Road NE, is part of the site, as well as a parking lot that sits across the road from the hospital on Eighth Street NE.
Hospital sale:Former Affinity Medical Center building sells again. What next for the site?
Affinity hospital has not been used to treat patients since its closure in February 2018. Massillon took over the building and related properties from Quorum Health in mid-2018 for $1, with the hope of finding a new, full-time hospital operator.
The city sold the property via auction in 2020. Farina became the primary owner in 2022.
Reach Steven Grazier at [email protected]. On X (formerly Twitter): @sgrazierINDE
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