Campus History

Upper Valley Medical Center was founded in 1986 as the umbrella corporation for the merger of Miami County’s three hospitals: Piqua Memorial in Piqua, Stouder Memorial in Troy and Dettmer Hospital located midway between Piqua and Troy. A new hospital — Upper Valley Medical Center — opened in 1998, consolidating acute care services to a central location within the county. Upper Valley Medical Center is located just off I-75, between Piqua and Troy. 

Background

Prior to the formation of UVMC, the three hospitals in Miami County operated as independent and competitive entities located within a 10-mile radius. In 1979, Piqua Memorial, Dettmer and Stouder formed the Miami County Health Care Coordinating Committee to investigate ways to cooperate, control health care costs and avoid duplication of services. The underlying goal of this initiative was to preserve local access to comprehensive, quality health care by maintaining an economically viable health care system in Miami County. 

In 1981, a group of Miami County physicians outlined the need for a consolidation of inpatient acute care services of the three hospitals into a single hospital. Formal discussions occurred, guiding subsequent efforts to unite the three hospitals to serve area residents in the most cost-effective and appropriate manner possible. 

Within a few years, continuing discussions culminated in the consolidation of Piqua Memorial and Dettmer in 1986, joined shortly after by Stouder, forming UVMC. The 1986 consolidation was a significant milestone that opened the door toward eliminating duplication of services, enhancing purchasing power, and combining resources of the local hospitals. 

Constructing a New Hospital

The next phase of UVMC’s evolution involved construction of the new Upper Valley Medical Center to consolidate acute care services into one centrally located facility. The new hospital opened in 1998 on the 100-acre Dettmer campus. Piqua Memorial and Stouder subsequently were closed, and Dettmer remained, housing behavioral medicine programs and a variety of non-clinical services.

Upper Valley Medical Center was intentionally designed with maximum flexibility to accommodate expansion to keep up with the community’s ever-growing health care needs. Increases in patient volumes led to an expansion in 2004, which added 11 inpatient beds and other enhancements in maternity, med/surg, and the emergency department.

The UVMC Cancer Center on the hospital's west side underwent a major expansion/renovation in 2011-2012. In 2013, an addition to the Physician Office Building, adjacent to the hospital proper, added medical office space, a conference center, and an expanded UVMC Sleep Center.

In 2020, an addition was completed on the south side of the hospital to provide for expansion of the cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation program. The addition more than doubled the size of the existing department, provided a separate entrance for participants, and added an employee wellness area for exercise and wellness activities for hospital staff. 

Upper Valley Medical Center experienced growth and diversification as a result of an ongoing strategic planning process throughout its first two-plus decades. UVMC has continued to evolve into a comprehensive health care provider to better serve the needs of area residents and to maintain economic viability.