Mount Carmel West
Former tertiary hospital in Columbus, Ohio, founded in 1886 and later planned for conversion into an outpatient and emergency-care campus.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Mount Carmel West was a Catholic-affiliated hospital in the Franklinton neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. It was the oldest hospital in the Mount Carmel Health System and operated on a roughly 37-acre campus between Ohio State Route 16 and U.S. Route 62, near Interstate 70 and Ohio State Route 315. The site also housed the Mount Carmel College of Nursing, an institution that developed from the hospital's early nurse-training school. The hospital originated as Hawkes Hospital of Mt. Carmel. Dr. W. B. Hawkes initiated the project, but died before construction was completed. Dr. John W. Hamilton then helped complete the building and arranged for the Sisters of the Holy Cross to operate it. Mount Carmel West formally opened in 1886, initially focusing on the care of women and infants. Over subsequent decades it expanded its buildings, patient capacity, educational facilities, and clinical scope. A nurse-training school opened in 1903, and later evolved into Mount Carmel College of Nursing. Additions in the early twentieth century included a chapel, patient rooms, classrooms, recreation facilities, and a library. By the 2010s, Mount Carmel West was a tertiary-care hospital offering emergency, inpatient, surgical, behavioral-health, diagnostic, and specialty services. It was also connected with Mount Carmel Medical Group and Mount Carmel Health Partners, extending access to primary-care and specialty physicians throughout Central Ohio. The campus had road access, COTA public-transit connections, nearby airports, and a helipad. U.S. News & World Report placed Mount Carmel East and Mount Carmel West together among Ohio's better-performing hospitals in a regional ranking and identified several specialties and procedures as high-performing. In late 2016, Mount Carmel Health System announced a major restructuring of the West campus. The plan called for a $46 million conversion from a full inpatient hospital to a largely outpatient facility while retaining a full-service emergency department in a new location on the campus. Inpatient services were to move to a new 210-bed hospital in Grove City, while the Level II trauma center was planned for relocation to Mount Carmel East near Reynoldsburg. Most of the existing hospital structures were scheduled for demolition, with the work expected to occur principally between 2019 and 2020. The plan also included expansion of the nursing college, continued use of parking garages, and development concepts for portions of the 37-acre site. The restructuring generated both support and concern. Supporters cited investment in nursing education, possible public open space, and continued access to outpatient, emergency, behavioral-health, and substance-abuse services in Franklinton. Critics worried about reduced staffing at the West emergency department and longer travel distances for older residents and other patients needing inpatient or trauma care. The planned closure and relocation of inpatient psychiatry services also raised questions about how behavioral-health access would be maintained locally. Mount Carmel West was also associated with a major patient-safety and criminal case involving physician William Husel. Between 2014 and 2018, Husel was accused of ordering unusually large fentanyl doses for patients at Mount Carmel West and Mount Carmel St. Ann's. He was initially charged in connection with 25 deaths, although 11 charges were later dropped. A jury acquitted him of the remaining 14 murder charges in April 2022. Mount Carmel dismissed Husel, terminated approximately 20 employees in connection with the incidents, paid $13 million in settlements to affected families, and experienced the resignations of its chief executive and chief clinical officer. The case became one of the most consequential events in the hospital's history.
History
Mount Carmel West began as Hawkes Hospital of Mt. Carmel in Columbus, Ohio. Dr. W. B. Hawkes started the project, but died before the hospital building was finished. Dr. John W. Hamilton subsequently helped complete construction and secured the involvement of the Sisters of the Holy Cross, who operated the institution. The hospital opened in 1886 with an intended emphasis on women and infants. The institution expanded during the early twentieth century. In 1903, it established a training school for nurses. The first graduating class consisted of eight sisters, and the school eventually became Mount Carmel College of Nursing. A second adjoining building, begun in 1906, added a chapel and 120 patient rooms. Further expansion in 1921 supplied another 120 patient rooms and additional educational and recreational facilities, including classrooms, a library, and recreation halls. Over time, the hospital developed from a small charitable institution into a major tertiary-care facility. Its 37-acre Franklinton campus supported inpatient medicine, surgery, emergency care, specialty services, psychiatric care, clinical support functions, and nursing education. The site was positioned near major Columbus highways and was accessible by public transportation and air-medical services. The nursing college remained an important institutional presence and expanded its academic scope beyond basic nurse training into baccalaureate, graduate, nurse-practitioner, administration, education, and dietetics programs. Mount Carmel West participated in a broader Mount Carmel provider network. Mount Carmel Medical Group represented more than 250 primary-care and specialty-care providers, while Mount Carmel Health Partners connected Mount Carmel with a much larger physician network in Central Ohio. These relationships supported non-emergency referrals and outpatient care, although affiliated providers did not necessarily share all records through the same system. The hospital's role changed substantially after a strategic plan announced in late 2016. Mount Carmel Health System proposed a $46 million transformation that would end most inpatient operations at West and create an outpatient-focused campus with a rebuilt emergency department. Inpatient services were to be transferred to a new 210-bed hospital in Grove City, while the Level II trauma center was to move to Mount Carmel East. Most of the existing hospital buildings were slated for demolition, and the nursing college was to receive additional space and investment. The plan anticipated that roughly 1,500 full-time-equivalent positions would move to Grove City, with approximately 300 remaining at West, although detailed redevelopment plans for the site continued to evolve. Psychiatric services were also part of the reorganization. The existing inpatient psychiatry unit was scheduled for closure and relocation, with plans for a larger behavioral-health facility near Mount Carmel East. The proposed changes were intended to preserve emergency access and improve outpatient, behavioral-health, and substance-abuse services, but community members expressed concern about staffing, travel distances, and the effect on vulnerable and older patients. From 2014 through 2018, Mount Carmel West and Mount Carmel St. Ann's became involved in a patient-safety controversy concerning physician William Husel. Authorities alleged that Husel ordered excessive fentanyl doses for patients who subsequently died. He was initially charged in 25 cases; 11 charges were later dismissed, and he was acquitted of the remaining 14 charges on April 20, 2022. Mount Carmel dismissed Husel, terminated about 20 employees, paid $13 million in settlements to families, and saw its chief executive and chief clinical officer resign. The episode led to extensive scrutiny of medication controls, clinical oversight, and hospital accountability. Mount Carmel West is now treated as a former hospital rather than an operating full-service inpatient institution. Its historical legacy includes more than a century of Catholic healthcare in Columbus, the development of a major nursing college, and a transition shaped by hospital consolidation, changing care-delivery models, and the need to expand outpatient and behavioral-health capacity.
- 2022
William Husel acquitted
[1]Husel is acquitted of the 14 remaining murder charges arising from the Mount Carmel patient-death investigation.
- 2019
Planned redevelopment phase begins
[1]The restructuring plan calls for relocation of inpatient services and demolition of most of the existing hospital buildings, with completion targeted for 2020.
- 2016
Conversion to outpatient-focused campus announced
[1]Mount Carmel Health System announces a $46 million plan to move inpatient services to Grove City, relocate trauma care to Mount Carmel East, and retain emergency and outpatient functions at West.
- 1921
Further hospital and nursing-school expansion
[1]The campus adds patient rooms and facilities supporting the nursing school, including classrooms, recreation areas, and a library.
- 1906
Major campus addition begins
[1]Construction begins on an adjoining building containing a chapel and 120 additional patient rooms.
- 1903
Nurse-training school established
[1]A training school for nurses opens on the campus, later developing into Mount Carmel College of Nursing.
- 1886
Hospital formally opens
[1]Hawkes Hospital of Mt. Carmel opens in Columbus under the operation of the Sisters of the Holy Cross, with an initial focus on women and infants.
Products and positioning
Catholic-affiliated tertiary hospital serving Columbus and Central Ohio, later repositioned as an outpatient- and emergency-care campus.
Emergency care
Emergency department
Mount Carmel West operated a full-service emergency department serving Columbus and surrounding communities. As part of the campus transformation, the emergency department was planned for reconstruction in a new location on the site so that emergency access could continue after most inpatient buildings were removed.
Trauma care
Level II Trauma Center
The hospital operated a Level II trauma center before the planned reorganization. The transformation plan called for trauma services to move to Mount Carmel East near Reynoldsburg, separating high-level trauma operations from the redesigned West campus.
Inpatient and specialty care · 1886
Tertiary hospital services
For much of its history, Mount Carmel West provided tertiary hospital care across emergency medicine, inpatient treatment, surgery, diagnostics, and multiple medical specialties. These services formed the core of the former full-service hospital and were targeted for transfer to the new Grove City facility during the restructuring.
Behavioral health
Behavioral-health and psychiatric care
Mount Carmel West included inpatient psychiatric services and was part of plans to maintain behavioral-health and substance-abuse access in the Franklinton area. The existing psychiatric unit was scheduled for closure, with a larger behavioral-health facility planned near Mount Carmel East.
Nursing education · 1903
Mount Carmel College of Nursing
The nursing school founded on the hospital campus in 1903 evolved into Mount Carmel College of Nursing. It became a Catholic-affiliated, coeducational institution offering undergraduate and graduate nursing-related programs and remained an important part of the West campus redevelopment plans.
Controversies
2019
William Husel fentanyl-dosing case
Physician William Husel was accused of ordering unusually large fentanyl doses for patients at Mount Carmel West and Mount Carmel St. Ann's between 2014 and 2018. He was initially charged in 25 deaths, with 11 charges later dropped, and was acquitted of the remaining 14 charges in 2022. Mount Carmel dismissed Husel, terminated approximately 20 employees, paid $13 million in settlements, and experienced senior leadership resignations.
Brand decisions
2019
Relocate inpatient psychiatry and expand behavioral-health capacityOtherBackground
The campus transformation required closure or relocation of the existing inpatient psychiatry unit while the health system sought to preserve behavioral-health and substance-abuse access in Central Ohio.
Action taken
Mount Carmel planned to move inpatient psychiatry to a new facility near Mount Carmel East and proposed an 80-bed behavioral-health hospital.
Aftermath
The plan was intended to increase behavioral-health capacity, but the future delivery model for some services in Franklinton remained a community concern.
2016
Convert Mount Carmel West into an outpatient-focused campusStrategyBackground
Mount Carmel Health System sought to reorganize hospital capacity and concentrate inpatient and trauma services at other facilities while retaining healthcare access at the West campus.
Action taken
The system approved a $46 million plan to move inpatient services to a new 210-bed Grove City hospital, transfer the Level II trauma center to Mount Carmel East, rebuild the emergency department on the West site, and demolish most existing hospital structures.
Aftermath
The plan changed Mount Carmel West from a full inpatient hospital into a former or restructured campus centered on outpatient and emergency functions. It also included nursing-college expansion and proposed behavioral-health redevelopment.
announced transformation investment. $46 million planned investment (announced in late 2016)
Recent events
- 2016
Mount Carmel Health System announces conversion plan for Mount Carmel West[1]
Other
Mount Carmel Health System announced a plan to shift Mount Carmel West from a full inpatient hospital toward outpatient services while retaining a full-service emergency department. The plan included moving inpatient care to a new Grove City hospital and relocating the Level II trauma center to Mount Carmel East.
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