Correspondent photo / Sean Barron A groundbreaking ceremony and program took place Wednesday in Boardman for a new Angel Care Medical facility that will serve as the company’s central hub of operations. Angel Care has offices in Ohio, western Pennsylvania and two other states.

BOARDMAN — In perhaps a handful of months, a longtime provider of durable medical equipment will have completed its centerpiece.

“This new facility marks a significant milestone in our commitment to our community. With this new space, we will be able to expand our inventory, streamline our services and provide better support to our partners and patients, ensuring they receive the prompt and professional care they deserve,” Dan Halas, Angel Care Medical LLC’s president, said.

Halas was referring to a two-story, 15,000-square-foot office building and warehouse to be built on a vacant parcel at 8500 Crossroads Drive, where a groundbreaking ceremony and program took place Wednesday morning.

The building, which likely will open next spring, will serve as the 24-year-old business’s central base of operations, which include providing a comprehensive array of medical equipment for rent, sale and service, along with offering services to long-term care, home-care and hospice facilities. The new center will allow Angel Care Medical to better fulfill its mission aimed at improving the well-being and quality of life of those who seek its services, Halas noted.

“It (also) allows us to expand our inventory and processes,” he said.

The project is estimated at $2 million, including $350,000 Angel Care Medical paid for the four-acre parcel, Halas added.

The new facility also will act as a training center for Angel Care Medical’s respiratory therapists and other employees via offering continuing-education opportunities.

“We’re always striving to have continuing education for our staff and employees,” Halas said, adding that it’s vital they stay abreast of changes and evolving needs in the medical community.

The Boardman location for the company, which also operates in western Pennsylvania as well as West Virginia and Kentucky, is vital because of its close proximity to the Ohio Turnpike and Interstate 680, along with the widening of nearby Western Reserve Road. That takes on added urgency largely because Angel Care Medical operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and may need to quickly respond to an emergency at any time, Halas noted.

“This will be providing a much-needed service to our community,” township Trustee Thomas P. Costello said.

The company, which was established in 2001, is continuing to grow in its efforts to “better take care of people,” Costello added.

WesBanco is providing much of the funds for the new facility’s construction, and Olsavsky Jaminet Architects Inc. of Youngstown is the project’s architect. Serving as the general contractor is Grove City, Ohio-based Boggs Construction.