LEBANON — Warren County might finally get a hospital.

        Middletown Regional Hospital, a landmark in Butler County for 83 years, is considering moving east into Warren County, according to local officials who have heard a pitch from hospital officials in recent weeks.

        “That would all of a sudden make Middletown Regional truly a regional hospital,” Warren Commissioner Pat South said of the possibility Friday.

        Hospital officials would not confirm they are considering a Warren County location. However, the plans that hospital officials have described to Mrs. South, Turtlecreek Township Trustee Dan George and others put the site just east of Interstate 75 near Greentree and Union roads in Turtlecreek Township.

        Middletown Regional will say only that it is considering either rebuilding on the same site — a difficult prospect because it is unable to expand beyond its 26 acres — or starting over somewhere near I-75. The hospital expects to decide by the end of April, vice president Larry James said Friday.

        “We are out of room,” Mr. James said. “Our growth has been tremendous over the last five years on both the outpatient and inpatient sides, and in the ER.”

        Especially in the ER. It's the third-busiest in Southwest Ohio, he said, and needs to be three to four times larger than it is.

        Overall, Middletown Regional has seen about a 38 percent increase in its patient load from 1995 to 2000, according to hospital figures — even as other Tristate hospitals such as Bethesda Oak in Avondale have closed in recent years.

        Mr. James said he expects a 10 percent or more increase in patients this year.

        The reason is obvious: The hospital straddles two of the fastest-growing counties in the state. Its service area stretches north to Springboro, east to Lebanon, and south to Mason and Liberty Township.

        A new facility would not change the service area, Mr. James said.

        But it could shave at least five minutes off the time it takes to reach the hospital from Warren County, said Sandra Stevens, a paramedic for Turtlecreek Township. The township already uses Middletown Regional in about a third of its emergency runs, Mrs. Stevens estimated, and life squads have to battle traffic congestion from two malls to get there.

        “It would be great for the whole area,” said Mrs. Stevens, who herself gave birth to two children at Middletown Regional.

        The project is hardly a done deal. Among the sticking points:

        • Middletown Regional is committed to staying in Middletown, Mr. James said. To locate to the Greentree Road site, the city would have to annex further into Warren County.

        • An I-75 location also would require a new interchange, he said.

        If those issues can be resolved, Middletown Regional's plan could bring not only a 100-plus-acre hospital campus to the area, but also a companion project just west of the interstate. This development could include doctors' offices, high-tech research and development facilities, and supply companies, Mr. James said.

        “It's an ideal site for everybody,” he said.

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