Mercer Health ready to renovate Celina center

CELINA - Mercer Health plans to renovate part of the Community Medical Center on South Main Street in Celina in order to expand the hours of its Doctor's Urgent Care clinic located within, a project estimated at just shy of $700,000.

Mercer Health CEO Jon Dingledine made the announcement at the hospital board of governors regular meeting on Wednesday night, noting the project is expected to get underway soon and be finished by May 1.

Dingledine said Muhlenkamp Building Corp. of Coldwater has been selected as the general contractor for the project.

"We've worked with them before on a couple of projects, and they did a great job for us, so we're excited to get that going," he said.

Once completed, Doctor's Urgent Care clinic will be able to extend to 10-12 hours of operation per day, Dingledine told The Daily Standard after the meeting. The clinic is currently open 6-11:30 p.m. Monday to Friday and 1:30-9:30 p.m. on weekends and holidays.

"This will allow us to be like an 8-to-8 type of operation," he said about Doctor's Urgent Care, a non-emergency care clinic that provides treatment of minor illnesses and injuries.

Mercer Health Medical Group Urology - Dr. Scott Cohen; Erica Feison, PA; and Leslie Johnson, PA - was relocated from the Community Medical Center to suite 106 at the Galleria in Celina, which is now owned by Mercer Health.

The move freed up about 3,300 square feet in the Community Medical Center, allowing for additional space for Doctor's Urgent Care to expand its hours.

"We're going to do some less intensive things like updating the waiting room, updating the entrances, those kind of things," Dingledine said of the forthcoming renovation. "The more intensive (renovation) space is roughly about 3,300 square feet."

The new urology space at the Galleria received final inspection approval on Oct. 14 and is expected to be operational by Nov. 2, according to Dingledine.

In other news, Dingledine noted the ongoing shutdown of the federal government is adversely affecting Mercer Health.

While programs like Medicare and Medicaid will continue operating during the government shutdown, funding lapses and the expiration of legal authorities for some health care policies are having an immediate impact on hospitals working with tight margins, Dingledine reported.

Moreover, the shutdown comes as health care providers are already preparing for the implementation of more than $1 trillion in Medicaid and health insurance exchange cuts as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Dingledine noted in his report to the board.

"Probably the biggest impact to us is a Medicare-dependent hospital status, that program expired here beginning on (Oct. 1) as well as the low volume adjustment program that we're part of," he said. "So overall, if the government doesn't get back into session and opened up, that could absolutely have some big impact on the financial status of the organization for this fiscal year."

Mercer Health will keep a close eye on the situation, he stressed.

Board members also:

• learned Jessica Bergman, APRN-CNM, recently completed her Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP), making her one of the few certified nurse midwives that have a DNP. In Ohio, only 2.3% of nurses hold a DNP, he noted.

• learned Mercer Health was recently recognized with a 2025 Gold Award from the Ohio Department of Health for providing complete and timely data to the Ohio Cancer Incidence Surveillance System.

• learned Mercer Health's emergency department has earned its third Door to Needle (DTN) Award from the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center's Telestroke Program.

"Our team achieved a 35-minute Door to Needle time during the 2025 Q1 DTN Challenge, far surpassing the national benchmark of 60 minutes," Dingledine wrote in his report. "Every minute counts in stroke care and this recognition highlights our commitment to delivering faster, high-quality treatment for our community."

• learned Mercer Health was the recipient of the 2026 Women's Choice Award as a best hospital for emergency care, minimally invasive surgery and obstetrics.

• learned planning for the fiscal year 2027 budget will begin in the coming weeks.

• went into executive session for strategic planning, personnel and peer review.

The board of governors meets next at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 19 at Mercer County Community Hospital.