Reid celebrates milestone in construction of new Connersville campus

Dec. 18, 2024 -- Community leaders, elected officials, and Reid Health team members gathered Wednesday to mark an important milestone in the health system's building of a new $100 million campus in Connersville.

Known as a topping-out ceremony, the long-standing tradition in construction celebrated reaching the highest point of the structure with the placement of the topmost beam in the facility's elevator shaft.

"It's hard to believe it's been a little more than two years since we last gathered to mark the formal beginning of this project. Back then, all that was here were the crumbling remains of a parking lot. But in the time since, we've made remarkable progress," said Craig Kinyon, Reid Health President/CEO.

"Along the way, we've been privileged to work with a wonderful team of partners, including worldwide architectural firm HKS, which is widely recognized as the premier healthcare design company in the United States; Skanska USA Building Inc. and joint venture partner Shook Construction, our primary construction partner; our own Jeff Cook, Reid's Director of Engineering, and his team; as well as the other contractors who have joined us to help give this community the top-of-the-line healthcare facility it deserves."

The state-of-the-art 106,715-square-foot facility currently under construction at 2500 Park Road will be the home of an Emergency Department with adjacent helipad, radiology services, a pharmacy, laboratory services, and a mix of primary and specialty care options.

A few of the specialties planned to be available there include cardiology, oncology, OB/GYN, orthopedics, podiatry, audiology, wound healing, and ear, nose, and throat.

"As a lifelong resident of Fayette County who started her nursing career at Fayette Regional, I'm incredibly excited by what this new campus means for the future of our city and county," said Billie Kester, Reid Health's Vice President for Ambulatory Care and Service Lines.

"And I know I'm not the only one who feels that way. The gratefulness I've heard from others in the community for Reid keeping its pledge to maintain health services here has been overwhelming.

"This investment -- the largest community investment in Connersville's history -- is a promise to the city and county that Reid will be here to deliver high-quality care for generations to come."

Once the new campus opens to patients in spring 2026, several of the organization's service lines in the city will be on the move.

Some of those services will be relocating from other Reid facilities in the city, leading to a series of moves aimed at maintaining core outpatient services while ensuring convenient access to care continues.

Among the changes that will take place once the new campus is complete:

• The primary care teams from Whitewater Valley Primary Care at 1473 E. State Road 44 and Reid Health Primary & Specialty Care - Connersville at 3542 Western Ave. will move to the new facility on Park Road.
• Reid OB/GYN - Connersville also will go from the 3542 Western Ave. building to the new campus on Park Road.
• The Outpatient Behavioral Health - Connersville team will move into the former Primary & Specialty Care - Connersville space at 3542 Western Ave. The current location for Outpatient Behavioral Health - Connersville at 1908 Park Road will be repurposed.
• Also going to 3542 Western Ave. will be Rehabilitation Services - Connersville.
• Moving to the 1475 E. State Road 44 address will be the Reid Connersville Infusion Center as well as Intensive Cardiopulmonary Rehab.
• Reid Health Urgent Care - Connersville will remain at its current location at 1475 E. State Road 44 but will see improvements to its building.
• The Rock Steady Boxing program will continue to operate in Connersville. More information about the program's 2026 location will be determined later.

"These changes will help us get the most out of the space we have at each of our locations and keep services close to one another for maximum convenience for our patients," Kester said.

For the latest on Reid's Building UP in Connersville plans, go to reidhealth.org/buildup. There you'll find a live web cam of the ongoing construction as well as Frequently Asked Questions, photos showing the work done so far, a timeline for the project, and more.

"As a lifelong resident of Fayette County who started her nursing career at Fayette Regional, I'm incredibly excited by what this new campus means for the future of our city and county. And I know I'm not the only one who feels that way. The gratefulness I've heard from others in the community for Reid keeping its pledge to maintain health services here has been overwhelming." -- Billie Kester, Reid Health's Vice President for Ambulatory Care and Service Lines