ONTARIO – People of Ontario will have easy access to emergency care after next week.

OhioHealth Emergency Care – Ontario will open at 7 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 23 in the newly-constructed Mary and James Rigby Building, 1365 North Lexington-Springmill Rd., in front of Meijer.

Though OhioHealth already offers emergency care in Mansfield and Shelby, this 8,000-square foot, stand-alone emergency care facility is its first in Ontario. It will be staffed 24 hours, 7 days a week with physicians and nurses. A week before the opening day, the staff includes 24 full-time employees.

“The key is that Ontario’s population may not be as large as Mansfield’s, but this is a retail hub. There’s a large number of people who come here to shop. That is part of their everyday life, and we want to be part of that, in case there’s an emergency,” said Christina Thompson, media relations and communications manager for OhioHealth Emergency Care – Ontario and OhioHealth Mansfield and Shelby Hospitals.

The emergency care facility includes eight beds, a resuscitation room and equipment for life-threatening illnesses and injuries, a behavioral safety room, an isolation room for potential Tuberculosis patients, an isolation room and a decontamination room with a separate outside entrance for patients who encounter chemicals or other dangerous substances.

X-Rays, CT scans and ultrasounds can be performed. In the next couple of months, special equipment for sexual assault examinations will also be available at the facility.

Plus, as part of the OhioHealth Stroke Network, the facility will be able to connect with stroke specialists and emergency teams at other OhioHealth locations around the state when needed.

“We are prepared to handle any patients, walk-in or EMS,” said Amanda Bowers, administration nurse manager.

Having a nearby emergency care facility, she says, could potentially save someone’s life.

“In a true emergency, six, seven minutes is a long time. It can be the difference between, if they show up to you breathing or not breathing,” Bowers said.

In addition to this facility, OhioHealth plans to soon open six more emergency care facilities in central Ohio.

The $5.3 million Ontario-based facility was first announced in June 2016. Construction of the Mary and James Rigby Building began in November 2016.

The freestanding emergency care facility is not meant to replace the Ontario-based OhioHealth urgent care or primary care facilities. It is not the same as an urgent care. Freestanding emergency departments are meant to provide emergency care for severe or life-threatening conditions like severe bleeding, shortness of breath or chest pain.

Urgent cares are for non-life-threatening injuries or illnesses like minor burns, the flu or allergic reactions.

OhioHealth will host an interactive pop-up event Sunday, Aug. 20 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Meijer parking lot, 1355 North Lexington-Springmill Rd. Guests can learn the differences between emergency, urgent and primary care facilities – along with other things – through games. EMS vehicle and staff will also be in attendance to teach hands-only CPR.