The Ohio attorney general's office announced this morning that it has approved plans by Akron Children's Hospital to buy a medical park in the Youngstown area.
With the state's blessing, Children's now can purchase the Beeghly Medical Park facility in Boardman from Forum Health and convert it into a new pediatric hospital for the Youngstown-Warren area.
Under state law, the attorney general had to review the sale because of Forum's nonprofit status. (Children's also is a nonprofit hospital.)
Children's is paying Forum $26 million for the property, according to the attorney general.
Children's intends to open a 30- to 40-bed pediatric hospital on the property sometime next year.
The Youngstown-area branch of Children's also will include a pediatric emergency room and outpatient services that now are scattered throughout the region known as the Mahoning Valley.
Bill Considine, president and chief executive of Akron Children's, has previously said the hospital wants to launch several million dollars' worth of renovations as soon as possible to convert the four buildings there for pediatric use.
The Youngstown-Warren area hasn't had a dedicated pediatric hospital since Forum Health closed Tod Children's Hospital earlier this year.
