CANFIELD, Ohio – Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel said the state of Ohio is in a moment of opportunity, with the pendulum of economic growth swinging back in its favor.
Speaking Tuesday at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Mahoning County Career & Technical Center Health and Wellness Center, Tressel underscored the importance of investing in workforce development and community-based health care.
“Some of us are old enough to have seen the pendulum swing back and forth a little bit,” Tressel said. “But I think right now, we happen to be at a moment where the pendulum has swung back in Ohio’s direction.”
The $7 million Health and Wellness Center is being funded in part through a $5 million grant awarded to MCCTC by the Appalachian Community Innovation Centers program. It will serve as a school-based health clinic and a community-access facility for both physical and mental health care.
The project is being developed in partnership with Mercy Health and Cadence Care Network.
“Thanks to this grant, MCCTC will soon open a health care facility that will serve our students, staff and the greater community,” said John Zehentbauer, superintendent of MCCTC. “It will operate as a true community resource, expanding access to all community members with much-needed medical and mental health care.”
Zehentbauer said the project also aims to strengthen health care training programs throughout the Mahoning Valley and will address shortages in health care personnel.
“As many of you know, we have partnered with Hannah Mullins School of Practical Nursing, which will be relocating from Salem to MCCTC this fall and eventually into this new health care facility,” he said. “This will allow us to directly address the shortage of LPNs, paramedics and EMS personnel here in the Valley.”
Tressel, who was appointed lieutenant governor earlier this year, praised MCCTC for its long-standing efforts to align education with workforce needs and emphasized that Ohio must continue to prepare workers for the nearly 500,000 additional jobs projected to be needed by 2030.
“Our career and tech centers need to turn out more; our trade schools need to turn out more, because we will need about 500,000 more jobs – good jobs – by 2030 in the state of Ohio,” he said. “So this is critical.”
He called the new center an example of tying education to community needs and praised the inclusion of both primary care and behavioral health services.
“One of the things that the governor talks about often is having those health care opportunities and clinics located where the people are – tying the community and the school and the kids together,” he said.
The clinic, which is scheduled for completion in August 2026, will be operated by Mercy Health and will offer walk-in and primary care services to the general public. Kathleen Harley, president of St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital, said Mercy Health is excited to provide care directly on the MCCTC campus.
“By being on this campus, we are making health care more accessible and more personal,” Harley said. “Students, families and community members all can access this site. It will be open to the general public. It will offer direct access to everyday care that is so needed, whether it’s a checkup or a treatment for minor illnesses.”
Harley added that Mercy Health sees the facility as a strategic opportunity to build a stronger local health care workforce.
“This center will be instrumental in helping prepare future health care professionals while inspiring career pathways and strengthening the fiber of our workforce,” she said. “By integrating health care and education, we are empowering these students with tools to succeed in both school and life.”
Cadence Care Network will expand its existing mental health services at MCCTC. Matt Kresic, CEO of Cadence, called the facility a “bold statement” about community priorities.
“This center is more than just a building,” he said. “It’s a bold statement about what we value as a community. It represents partnership built on trust, shared purpose and a vision for comprehensive health services that meet people where they are – physically, emotionally and economically.”
Kresic said statistics show that approximately 20% of U.S. teens ages 12 to 17 have been diagnosed with a behavioral health condition, which translates to roughly 200 students at MCCTC.
“This project allows for broader accessibility to that type of service,” he said. “It shows them what’s possible when innovation meets compassion, and it roots those lessons right here in our community.”
The project’s partners say the new center is about more than infrastructure – it’s about planting something lasting for the future of the Valley.
“As we turn this soil today, we’re planting the seeds of something truly transformative,” Harley said. “We are building more than a health center. We are building a healthier, stronger and more connected community, and we are ready for that pendulum.”
Pictured at top: Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, holding a shovel, was among those who attended Wednesday’s groundbreaking ceremony for the new center.