UH Parma Medical Center is moving ahead with a $6 million renovation of its emergency department, a project that will reconfigure the hospital's existing ER, add a new helipad, and expand emergency capacity by 25 percent. The hospital says the upgrade is designed to accommodate community needs for the next 15 to 20 years as demand for emergency medicine services continues to rise.
The project, which was detailed by Cleveland.com, includes reconfiguring interior areas of the hospital for emergency use, renovating the exterior of the hospital entrance, and adding a patient parking lot along with increased parking near the emergency department itself. The work is being rolled out in phases, with phase 1 already underway. UH Parma's emergency department cared for more than 38,000 patients in 2024, including more than 10,000 who arrived by ambulance, according to the outlet's report.
A Level III Trauma Center Built for an Aging County
UH Parma Medical Center received provisional Level III Adult Trauma Center status from the Ohio Department of Public Safety after a consultative visit from the American College of Surgeons, according to University Hospitals. The emergency department is also designated as a Primary Stroke Center and coordinates pre-hospital Code STEMI cardiac care with local EMS crews through remote EKG transmissions that let hospital teams prep cardiac catheterization labs before a patient even arrives.
The renovation is intended to address community needs. Adults 65 and older made up roughly 20.5 percent of Cuyahoga County residents in 2024, or about 254,200 people, per data cited from USAFacts. Older and medically fragile patients may require timely emergency care.
Foundation Match
The Parma Hospital Health Care Foundation has announced a dollar-for-dollar donation matching program, pledging to match gifts up to $1 million to support the emergency department renovation. Tom Basista, who has served on the foundation's board of directors since 2017, donated toward the project and urged others to support it and take advantage of the matching opportunity. The matching opportunity is available to donors supporting the project.
James Hill said the renovation is intended to support caregivers. Separately, demand for emergency medicine is expected to rise. Shawn Gordon, director of development, can be reached at 330-388-7108 or by email at [email protected] for those interested in contributing to the matching campaign.
Part of a Larger Pattern of Hospital Growth
UH Parma was founded in 1961 as Parma Community General Hospital by six southwestern Cuyahoga County municipalities — Parma, Parma Heights, Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights, Seven Hills and North Royalton — before officially joining the University Hospitals system on January 1, 2014. Today it is a 332-bed acute care facility employing roughly 2,000 Northeast Ohio residents, with more than 500 physicians covering 30 medical specialties across a campus. The hospital holds an A Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group.
UH Parma Medical Center is planning an emergency-department renovation.
The Parma investment arrives as other regional health systems pursue similar expansions across Greater Cleveland. Cleveland Clinic completed a land swap in July, with the relevant property transactions closing on July 27, to support a planned 120,000-square-foot emergency department expansion in Cleveland tied to its pursuit of a Level I trauma center designation, as Hoodline previously reported. UH Parma's leadership has framed its own renovation as a response to community needs.
