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MARIETTA – Memorial Health System’s partnership with Akron Children’s Hospital continues to expand pediatric services in the Mid-Ohio Valley, from hospital-based care at the Belpre Medical Campus to school-based health clinics now operating in Marietta and Belpre City Schools.

The two health systems are jointly developing a new Women and Children’s Hospital at Memorial’s Belpre campus, a project Memorial Health System said in October 2025 is moving forward with construction following the October 2024 groundbreaking. The facility is expected to open in late 2027 and will be the region’s only hospital dedicated to women’s and children’s care.

Plans for the hospital include a Level II neonatal intensive care unit, private delivery rooms, a special care nursery, operating rooms, lactation services and family support areas, according to Memorial Health System in October 2025. Akron Children’s Hospital will begin construction on a medical office building connected to the new facility, Memorial said in October 2025.

According to Memorial Health System in October 2025, the hospital is expected to allow approximately 1,400 births to remain local each year, provide specialty care access for about 400,000 patients and keep 85% of previously transferred neonatal intensive care infants closer to home.

The partnership has also expanded pediatric emergency care. Memorial Health System completed a pediatric emergency department in partnership with Akron Children’s Hospital in 2023, and the health system said at the time that the department would expand pediatric-focused emergency services in the region.

Beyond hospital-based care, Akron Children’s has expanded its presence in local schools through contracts with Marietta City Schools and Belpre City Schools that were announced in an August 2025 release.

“With a parent’s consent, a nurse practitioner can provide a wide range of medical exams and services in person or through telehealth,” Mary Schatz, clinical nurse manager for school health services at Akron Children’s, said in the release announcing the school-based health centers.

Students can be evaluated for minor illnesses such as coughs, colds, flu, sore throats, allergies, sinus issues, rashes, pink eye and ear infections. Prescriptions can be sent to pharmacies, the release said, which can reduce the need for parents to miss work or pull children from school to seek care elsewhere. Insurance is billed for services, and financial counseling is available for families without insurance.

“SBHC is a very successful and proven approach to keeping children healthy in the classroom and is especially well suited for addressing minor illnesses,” Brad Cunningham, senior director of primary care and school health at Akron Children’s, said during an interview last year.

Stacey Greenup, a certified nurse practitioner who also sees patients at Akron Children’s Pediatrics offices in Marietta and Belpre, was named the lead provider for the Marietta and Belpre school buildings. Each school is staffed with a medical assistant to support student care, according to Akron Children’s.

The school-based program also includes in-school well visits, hearing and vision screenings, sports physicals and vaccinations in some buildings, according to Akron Children’s 2023 announcement. Students can be screened for anxiety and depression, with referrals made for behavioral health services when needed.

Akron Children’s provides school health services to 44 school districts across Ohio and operates school-based health centers in 17 districts, according to information released by the hospital system in 2023.

Memorial Health System President and CEO Scott Cantley said in August 2025 that the Women and Children’s Hospital project, developed with Akron Children’s, is intended to help rural communities retain access to specialty care and reduce the need for families to travel long distances for treatment.

Gwen Sour can be reached at gsour@newsandsentinel.com