The long-quiet former University Hospitals Richmond Medical Center at 27100 Chardon Road in Richmond Heights is getting a second act. Behavioral health operator Everwell has bought the campus and plans to turn the third floor into a secure geriatric and psychiatric inpatient unit. Company representatives say they hope to begin admitting patients by the third quarter of 2026, or by the end of that year at the latest, through a phased reopening that could also bring new jobs to the area. The sale continues a broader trend of trying to repurpose hospital facilities following recent waves of service consolidation.
According to Cleveland.com, Everwell plans to place 48 beds on the third floor, split between a geriatric-psychiatric wing and a separate adult psychiatric wing for patients 18 and older. The company told the outlet it oversees roughly 10,000 skilled-nursing beds across the country and is projecting about 140 jobs in the first phase of the project. Cleveland.com also reported that some outpatient physician offices will continue operating on the lower floors while the inpatient conversion moves ahead upstairs.
University Hospitals dramatically scaled back inpatient, surgical and emergency services at the Richmond Heights campus in 2022 as part of a system-wide staffing realignment, while saying that physician services at the site would continue. In a statement outlined in a 2022 release from University Hospitals, the system framed the move as a response to staffing issues and pledged to work with local leaders on future uses for the property.
What the New Unit Will Include
Everwell told Cleveland.com that the entire third floor will be access controlled, including elevator controls, to keep the inpatient behavioral-health space secure and separate from the outpatient activity on lower levels. Care is expected to follow a four-patients-to-one-nurse ratio, backed by additional clinical staff. Patients would arrive through referrals from primary-care doctors or hospitals, but self-referrals would also be allowed. The company said it is considering adding substance-use-disorder and detox services in a later phase, although that piece is not part of the initial launch.
Why This Matters for Richmond Heights
As detailed by Ideastream Public Media, University Hospitals’ 2022 service consolidation shifted care to busier facilities amid a nationwide staffing crunch, leaving communities like Richmond Heights scrambling to figure out what to do with aging hospital buildings. City officials say that landing a health operator that can deliver clinical services while also restoring jobs would be a major win for residents who relied on the campus for decades. If Everwell sticks to its timetable, the project would restore specialized geriatric and psychiatric capacity locally and provide new employment opportunities.
Officials caution that the plan still has to clear several hurdles, including finalizing project details, securing permits and lining up staff, so the timeline could change. City and company leaders are expected to share more as planning advances, permit applications are filed and hiring ramps up around key construction and licensing milestones. For now, though, the sale gives Richmond Heights a clearer path to revive a long-vacant medical campus and to expand services aimed at older adults and people in need of psychiatric care.
