A little more than two-and-a-half years in the making, the brand new Cleveland Akron General Emergency Department was unveiled to local leaders and the media on Wednesday. During the ribbon cutting ceremony, Akron General President Dr. Brian Harte reinforced the hospital system's commitment to the Akron area.
Edmund Sabanegh, M.D., president of Cleveland Clinic main campus and regional hospitals
Tom Mihaljevic, M.D., CEO and president of Cleveland Clinic
Brian Harte, M.D., president of Akron General
Brad Borden, M.D., chairman of Cleveland Clinic’s Emergency Services Institute
Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan
Read more from the Cleveland Clinic below:
Cleveland Clinic Akron General’s new $49.3 million emergency department opens to patients at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, July 31, more than tripling the size of its current emergency department and enhancing patient experience.
“This new emergency department is a very visible example of Cleveland Clinic Akron General’s commitment to meeting the healthcare needs of the residents of Akron and the surrounding communities,” said Brian Harte, M.D., president of Akron General. “As a regional Level I Trauma Center, we serve patients with critical injuries and this investment will help our caregivers provide safe, high-quality care in the most efficient manner possible.”
The new emergency department is designed to expedite the process from admittance through discharge and includes:
- Sixty total treatment rooms, including:
- Two trauma rooms that double the size of trauma care capacity
- Two resuscitation rooms
- Six rooms for minor injuries and illnesses
- Five behavioral health rooms
- A rooftop helipad
- An imaging department, including a CT scanner and two radiographic rooms
- A designated area for Akron General’s PATH Center (Providing Access to Healing) through which Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners provide quality, trauma-informed, compassionate care to victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, elder abuse and neglect
- A designated area for quarantining and treating highly contagious patients
The emergency department is located on the first floor of a new 67,000-square-foot building and a new second-floor bridge connects it to the surgery center at the main hospital in downtown Akron. Administrative offices are located on the second floor along with a 19-bed observation unit that will be used for treatment and evaluation while determining whether a patient needs to be admitted to the hospital.
The building follows environmentally friendly design practices, continuing Cleveland Clinic’s energy conservation and sustainability efforts, including:
•Water efficiency: Low-flow toilets and sinks use about 40 percent less water than a baseline system.
•Energy efficiency: 100 percent LED lighting and building automation system optimizes the usage of conditioned air.
•Energy conservation: Indoor lights utilize daylight when available.
•Landfill diversion: Reduced waste, improved quality and increased safety due to more construction materials being fabricated offsite. 90 percent of construction debris was reclaimed and repurposed for other usable products.
•Indoor air quality: Use of low-VOC paints, adhesives, furnishing and materials to reduce indoor air pollution.
A reception was held for community and health system leaders this morning, and a special open house will be held for caregivers this afternoon. A community open house will be held on Saturday, July 28, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The building was designed by Hasenstab Architects and constructed by The Ruhlin Company.
(Akron Zoo) The Akron Zoo has welcomed two babies this summer! A male Humboldt penguin chick hatched on June 1, and a female Siberian musk deer fawn born on June 13.
The two babies currently do not have a name, and we need your help to choose! Pick your favorite name for each animal below. The naming contest begins July 24 and will run through Aug. 8 at noon.
The penguin chick has not yet made his public debut yet. Before venturing out into the penguin habitat, the chick needs to eat on his own, molt his down feathers and pass a swim test, which is anticipated to happen later this summer.
The musk deer fawn is currently working up to her big debut and is expected to be out in the musk deer habitat in the next couple weeks.
Make sure to like the Akron Zoo on Facebook for updates on each baby and up-to-date news on when the babies will make their public debut.
Visit AkronZoo.org to vote!
(Akron Public Schools) Today Akron Public Schools (APS) and Bridgestone Americas, Inc. announced the new Bridgestone Academy of Applied Engineering and Technology, which will bring a Firestone Complete Auto Care (FCAC) center to East Community Learning Center (CLC) in the Fall of the 2018/2019 school year. The center will give up to 100 students hands-on experience working with top-of-the-line automotive technology while learning business practices necessary to run a retail store. Bridgestone Americas will also become a Named Academy Partner in the growing community of businesses engaging in the new College & Career Academies of Akron for APS high schools.
Akron Public Schools will retrofit a portion of the existing Automotive Technology lab at East CLC in conjunction with Bridgestone Americas, which will donate materials, fixtures, and point-of-sale systems. The center will come complete with software programs, customer waiting area and equipment to service vehicles. Uniformed students will provide limited auto maintenance services to the local community while practicing exemplary customer service and business acumen. All revenue generated from service and sales will be reinvested into the program.
“The Automotive Technology program at East CLC has a long history of teaching students auto repair skills,” Chadwick Groom, East CLC automotive technology teacher said. “This collaboration with Bridgestone Americas will strengthen our curriculum by providing students with more advanced training while learning about customer service and business fundamentals.”
“Bridgestone is thrilled to be part of the College & Career Academies of Akron. This collaboration underscores our long-term, deep-seated commitment and ties to the Akron community and education in particular,” said Christine Karbowiak, Chief Administrative Officer, Chief Risk Officer, and Executive Vice President, Bridgestone Americas.“Bridgestone is a leader in innovation, and this training center is a tangible representation of Our Way to Serve, our corporate social responsibility commitment. The center reflects our dedication to educating the next generation of automotive and retail professionals, using the latest technology, operational procedures and business practices offered in our Firestone Complete Auto Care tire and automotive service centers.”
This new center was inspired by Maplewood High School Automotive Training Center, a public-private collaboration between Bridgestone Americas and Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools to benefit Nashville education. Since the beginning of the collaboration in 2015, Bridgestone has hired 17 Maplewood graduates as store teammates and 12 as interns at Firestone Complete Auto Care locations in the Nashville region.
“We are grateful for the investment Bridgestone Americas has made in our students at East CLC,” APS Superintendent David W. James said. “This collaboration marks another step forward in the transformation of APS high school education to College & Career Academies, providing all students with the opportunity to explore their world in greater depth and achieve success after graduation.”
APS was designated a Ford Next Generation Learning Community in May, 2017. Ford Motor Company Fund, the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company, is supporting the transformation of public high schools into career-themed academies to better prepare students for college and professional success in today's competitive global economy. College and Career Academies of Akron are supported by the following key strategic partners: GAR Foundation, United Way of Summit County, ConxusNEO, Summit Education Initiative, and Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce.
The collaboration between Akron Public Schools and Bridgestone Americas, Inc. was formed with the help of United Way of Summit County. In May, APS announced that United Way would serve as a link between the College and Career Academies of Akron and local businesses to provide hands-on learning opportunities for students and to strengthen the education to employment pipeline in Summit County.
“United Way is proud to work with Bridgestone Americas, Inc. to bring the Bridgestone Academy of Applied Engineering and Technology to East CLC,” said Jim Mullen, United Way president and CEO. “Akron Public Schools, through their College and Career Academies, are transforming their educational model. Bridgestone’s investment will help them create exciting new learning experiences that will prepare students with valuable skills for future success.”
The Summit County Sheriff's Office has announced felony charges against 28-year-old Dean Davis of Green who is alleged to have sexually assaulted a 4-year-old boy in the boy's mother's home that was caught on a home surveillance camera.
Inspector Bill Holland added in a press release Tuesday that the boy's mother, 31-year-old Samantha Ward, who has three other children, was aware of the incident and didn't report it.
Green has been booked on Gross Sexual Imposition and other charges, while Ward, who is alleged to have been taking medications prescribed to her other children, is charged with endangering children and theft of drugs.
Additional charges are pending further investigation, according to Holland.
Read the full press release from the Sheriff's Office below:
The Summit County Sheriff's Office was contacted in regards to an alleged sexual assault that occurred in the city of Green. An investigation was initiated by the Sheriff’s Detective Bureau. It was reported that a household surveillance camera captured the assault on video. The alleged victim of the sexual assault was a 4 year old male. The child’s mother was supposedly aware of the incident, but failed to report it. The above victim and three other children were interviewed and subsequently turned over to Summit County Children’s Services.
The investigation revealed that the individual depicted in the video was Dean A. Davis. Davis was arrested and charged with Gross Sexual Imposition (F-3), Sexual Imposition (M-3), and Endangering Children (M-1). Further charges are pending the outcome of the investigation. Davis, age 28 of Green, was transported to the Summit County Jail.
Through the investigation, it was determined that the mother of the four children, Samantha Ward, created a substantial risk to the health and safety of her children. It was also believed that she was consuming medication that belonged to her children. Samantha L. Ward, age 31 of Green, was arrested and charged with Endangering Children (M-1) and Theft of Drugs (F-5). Additional charges are pending the outcome of the investigation. She was transported to the Summit County Jail. Follow-up questions should be directed to Inspector Bill Holland at 330-620-9738.
A Medina County Jail inmate is back in custody after he jumped from an ambulance and ran off into a wooded area.
Reports are that Joshua Bragg, who was arrested earlier in July on cocaine charges, was being transported to Cleveland Clinic Akron General from Medina Cleveland Clinic where he was on medical furlough, according to the Medina Gazette. During the ride, reports say, Bragg unstrapped himself from the gurney and walked out of the ambulance, into a wooded area nearby.
The Gazette is reporting that because Bragg was on medical furlough, there were no other sheriff's offfice officials, nor law enforcement on hand.'
The incident happened around 5:20 Sunday and Bragg was found and taken back into custody Monday morning without further incident. He's now facing felony fleeing charges.
The LeBron James Family Foundation, in partnership with WKYC-TV Cleveland and Kaulig Companies Limited out of Hudson, is developing a new high-tech media lab, with live TV broadcasting capabilities.
WKYC.com is reporting, that the I Promise School, which is set to open its doors to 3rd and 4th grade students next week and is primarily hands-on and STEM oriented, will teach video editing, TV production, and more in the new lab.
This Week in Tech with Jeanne Destro-7-20-18 Featured
Written by Jeanne Destro
This week, high tech tires that can tell you when they need air, how the technology that’s supposed to make your home more safe and comfortable is being weaponized for domestic violence, how and why your supposedly private emails really aren’t private at all, and how one day, we may be able to quite literally, conjure up energy out of thin air.
Nobody was hurt when when the Emerald Performance Materials chemical plant in South Akron blew up yesterday, sending smoke and flames high into the sky, and triggering the evacuation of nearby homes and businesses.
Akron Fire officials gave residents the green light to return home by about 5:30 last evening, and even though the chemical which blew up--Butadiene--is toxic, they said it was safe to return to the area, and there was no indication the fire and explosion posed a health risk.
Butadiene is used in the manufacture of rubber, and other industrial products.
No word yet, as to what caused that explosion.
Former Ohio State defensive end and 2002 Highland High School graduate Mike Kudla, 34, has passed away according to a the Highland Local School District.
Kudla ranks 14th on the all-time sack leaders list for Ohio State and was a member of the 2002 National Champion team. Kudla was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2006.
While his NFL career was cut short by injuries, Kudla remained active in sports medicine, working with the NFL on CTE-protocols.
No cause of death has been released.
The following is the notification posted to the Highland High School Facebook page:
Dear Highland Parents and Friends,
We were informed this morning that Mike Kudla passed away unexpectedly yesterday, Sunday, July 15. He was 34.
Mike was a proud 2002 graduate of Highland High School. An honor student and four-year letter winner, he left Highland with over 500 career tackles and was named to several All-America teams. He was a graduate of The Ohio State University and a member of the 2002 National Championship Team under Coach Jim Tressel, a two-time Big Ten Champion, First Team All-Big Ten, and 2005 Team Defensive MVP. Mike capped off his Ohio State career with a three-sack performance in a win over Notre Dame and ranks 14th in Ohio State history for career sacks.
After his career in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike embraced his entrepreneurial spirit and began a career in insurance and risk management. After several years, the opportunity arose to join The Ohio State University and, in 2012, Mike was named Managing Director of Development for the Fisher College of Business. Most recently, he was the owner of Core Plex, where he developed and built medical facilities all over the country. He was also working with the NFL on protocols for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), which is a neurodegenerative disease found in people who have experienced multiple head injuries.
Despite his success on and off the football field, Mike remained humble and was extremely generous with his time and resources. He was always willing to share his experience and mentor youth. He was loved and respected by many and will be missed terribly.
The Kudla's have been long-time members of the Highland community. His mother, Mary Fran, worked at Highland Schools for 20 years, retiring in July 2017, and remains the director of the Highland Community Education program.
Mary Fran and her husband, Paul, reside in Montville Township and have four other children, Brian ('98), Katie ('00), Eric ('05, also employed at Highland Schools) and Emily ('09).
Most of us cannot begin to imagine the depth of grief that their family is going through right now. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
Funeral arrangements are pending. We will keep you informed as more information becomes available.
Thank you,
Dawn Marzano
Director of Communications
Highland Local School District
Former Deputies Charged in Inmate's Attempted Suicide
Written by Ryan LangBack in April of this year, the Summit County Sheriff's Office launched an investigation into the attempted suicide of an inmate at the Summit County Jail.
During the investigation, three deputies who were on duty at the time of the incident in question, were questioned. It was later uncovered that the deputies provided false information to medical staff and investigators.
In a press release on Tuesday, July 17th, Inspector Bill Holland with the Sheriff's Office said that former deputies Teresa M. Stark, Debra Weiland, and Alycia L. Hawkins have been charged with Falsification, a first degree misdemeanor, and Obstructing Official Business, a second degree misdemeanor. Inspector Holland added that two of the deputies quit the department and the third was removed from duty while she was still in her probationary period.
No further information regarding the secifics of the April incident at the Jail were provided.