Just as the hospital approaches the 10-year anniversary of the opening of Atrium Medical Center, a generous donation has helped complete the walking trail circling the hospital’s Middletown campus.
Now, patients, visitors and staff of Atrium Medical Center can enjoy a paved 1.3 mile path traveling through a series gardens surrounding the hospital building with water features, a bronze statue Angel of Hope, benches and wooden pergolas. The walking trail is open for public use, and the campus recently hosted the
Butler/Warren County Heart Walk using the trail.
Gemma Power Systems, the engineering-procurement-construction contractor for NTE Energy's 475 megawatt natural gas-fired power plant Middletown Energy Center, donated time, materials and staffing to finish the final leg of the trail. Gemma’s donation helps fulfill one of the key amenities hospital leaders envisioned when Atrium and the medical campus were opened in December 2007.
“We strive to deliver a great project experience to our customers and to the communities in which we work and live,” said Daniel L. Martin, Gemma Power Systems president. “Our company and our employees are proud to work with the Atrium team and pleased to play a role in completion of this wonderful community asset,” he said.
A ribbon cutting held Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017, at Atrium Medical Center in Middletown unveiled the Centennial Gardens along the recently-finished portion of the path. The expansion of the path connects the trail from the main entrance parking area to the north end of campus, adjacent to Campus Loop Road.
It was also revealed that the now-finished 1.3 mile walking path has been named Turner Trail, to honor former Atrium President Carol Turner. Turner served the hospital for more than 37 years in a variety of clinical and administrative leadership roles and was heavily involved in the planning and construction of Atrium.
“So many of us at Atrium are grateful to Carol for all that she’s given our hospital and our patients over the years. We salute her compassionate leadership in improving the health of the communities we serve,” said Michael Uhl, president of Atrium.
Another leader who has served the hospital with great dedication and vision is Dr. Jeffrey Zollett. Dr. Zollett has held a variety of leadership roles on the hospital, health system and foundation boards, all while running his medical practice. In gratitude to Dr. Zollett for his contributions to Atrium, a bench along the trail has also been named in his honor.
The completion of Turner Trail coincides with celebrations this year to commemorate the
100th anniversary of the founding of the Middletown hospital in 1917, which is now known as Atrium Medical Center. December marks the 10-year anniversary since the new hospital was opened on an approximately 260-acre campus to anchor the City of Middletown’s Renaissance District east of the Ohio 122 and Interstate 75 interchange. The opening of Atrium was a more than $300 million project in partnership with Premier Health and the City of Middletown.
“Our vision was to create a health and wellness campus with the hospital at the center and partners who could make our community healthier. One key component of our vision was to create a walking trail. We wanted to provide a safe, convenient and attractive place for employees, campus visitors and the public to exercise and focus on their wellness,” Uhl said.
Partners located on the Atrium Medical Center campus include Atrium Family YMCA, Otterbein Senior Lifestyle Choices, Greentree Health Science Academy, Dayton Children’s Middletown, and Cincinnati Eye Institute.
The walking trail was built over the years in phases thanks to donations from employees and other donors, and a grant from Interact for Health, a nonprofit foundation that is building healthy communities for all people in Greater Cincinnati. In total, more than 700 donors contributed nearly $1.5 million toward the completion of the continuous trail loop.
“All of the walking trail expansions and gardens have been made possible through philanthropy. We are very pleased to be a part of creating this community asset and are most grateful to all the donors who have supported Atrium’s campus projects these past 10 years," said Michael Stautberg, president of the hospital’s Foundation.
Atrium Medical Center serves Butler, Warren and surrounding counties from its main campus conveniently located along the Interstate 75 corridor at exit 32, One Medical Center Drive in Middletown, between Cincinnati and Dayton. The full-service hospital and Level III Emergency Trauma Center employs approximately 1,500 people in full-time, part-time and on-call positions. Other facilities operated by Atrium include Atrium Health Center Trenton and Atrium Health Center Mason.
For more information about how to contribute to the maintenance of the walking trail and gardens, contact Atrium Medical Center Foundation at 513-974-5144.
Just as the hospital approaches the 10-year anniversary of the opening of Atrium Medical Center, a generous donation has helped complete the walking trail circling the hospital’s Middletown campus.
