The Ohio State University to Place Final Beam in Topping Out Ceremony of $1.1 Billion Hospital Expansion

COLUMBUS, Ohio, May 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- On Monday, May 21, 2012 the final beam will be lifted into place at the new James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute and Critical Care Center under construction on The Ohio State University medical campus. When completed, the 21-floor, $1.1 billion hospital will be one of the 15 tallest hospitals in the country.

OSU President E. Gordon Gee and dignitaries from the state, including Mayor Michael Coleman, community and university, in addition to medical staff and patients, will be on hand when the last beam is raised and bolted into place. During the past several weeks, the beam has been on tour in Columbus and signed by thousands of supporters of Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center.

Topping out ceremonies traditionally mark a major milestone in construction. The Wexner Medical Center topping out ceremony will also mark a dramatic change to the state of Ohio. This facility, that will provide state of the art care for patients, will have a tremendous economic impact on Columbus and the state of Ohio.

The Wexner Medical Center Expansion is the largest construction effort in the history of The Ohio State University. Already, the expansion is putting jobs back into the hands of Central Ohio residents. It has created 5,000 full-time construction jobs, it will create 6,000 permanent research and health care professional positions, and additional spending by The Ohio State University, its faculty, staff and visitors will create 4,000 indirect, full-time jobs for Ohioans. Once completed, the new James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute and Critical Care Center will generate $1.7 billion in annual economic impact to Ohio's economy by 2015.

Reporters are invited to the event, which begins at 4:15 p.m. with remarks from President Gee and other leaders, including Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman, Dr. Steven G. Gabbe, CEO of Wexner Medical Center, and Michael A. Caligiuri, director of Ohio State's Comprehensive Cancer Center and CEO of the James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. A mult-box will be available on the podium.

The ceremony will be held under a tent in the parking lot off Cannon Drive at the 10th Avenue intersection. The site offers an excellent vantage point for the placement of the final beam. Media parking is available in the lot. Reporters can access multi-media content and follow the story by searching #FutureOfMed on Twitter during the event.

Reporters wishing to prepare stories in advance of the formal ceremony can make arrangements through the media relations office at Wexner Medical Center, 614-293-3737.

SOURCE The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center