Columbus Regional Health ready to unveil Nexus Park to community

Those who remember the layout and look of the former Fair Oaks Mall, will see little of that design left except the skylights in the revamped Nexus Park section operated by Columbus Regional Health.

The hospital will be holding grand opening celebrations and public tours of the renovated facility on 25th Street on Wednesday.

Hospital president and CEO Jim Bickel explains:

The interior of the building has been completely renovated in a $54 million project by the hospital with a focus on natural lighting, soothing spaces, local artwork and consistency. The new medical facility features a broad promenade with color-coded sections in natural colors along the width of the space. In addition to the Fair Oaks skylights which were upgraded and retained, the hospital has also added more skylights to bring more light into the space.

David Lenart, vice president of strategic facilities planning and operations for CRH, said that the consistency means patient rooms throughout the building will look the same.

While patient access to their exam rooms will be through public hallways, patient privacy is maintained through frosted door windows, locking doors and a white noise sound system that masks neighboring conversations. Doctors and staff will work in behind the scenes spaces that are not publicly accessible.

The first practice to move into the facility was OB/GYN & Associates of Columbus which has been operating in Nexus Park since October. Dr. Rachel Reed, vice president and associate chief medical officer CRH is a physician with that practice. She explains her experience with the new facility.

The next practice to move will be PT Solutions Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy which will begin moving in on Thursday

The hospital facility entrance is on the southwest corner of the former mall, where the Mark Pi’s Chinese restaurant used to operate. A ribbon cutting is Wednesday at 11:30 a.m., followed by tours of the space until 6 p.m. that evening.

Casey Gibson, facility engineer with Columbus Regional Health, explains the main promenade in the new Nexus Park space during a media tour this week.