COLUMBUS, Ohio — More than 100 protestors gathered Sunday outside the new hospital tower at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, calling on the university to remove the name of billionaire Les Wexner from campus buildings as the facility opened to patients for the first time.
The protest, organized by the Ohio Nurses Association, coincided with the first day of operations at the 26-story University Hospital tower at 520 W. 10th Ave.
The rally comes amid renewed scrutiny of Wexner’s past ties to sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and follows a growing movement urging the university to remove Wexner’s name from campus facilities. An online petition circulating in recent weeks has drawn significant support, according to organizers. The Guardian has previously reported on the petition effort.
The new University Hospital is the largest single-facility construction project in Ohio State’s history and the largest single-facility hospital project to open in the United States in 2026, according to the university. The 1.9-million-square-foot tower rises 410 feet, making it the 10th tallest building in Columbus.
More than 425 patients were scheduled to move into 820 private rooms through three dedicated routes as part of the opening process. The hospital includes 24 operating rooms, 10 interventional radiology suites, 234 intensive care unit beds, and expanded capacity for specialized services, including neurology, neurosurgery, organ transplant,s and critical care.
In a statement marking the opening, Ohio State President Walter “Ted” Carter Jr. called the hospital a transformational milestone for the university’s health system. John J. Warner, CEO of the medical center, said the facility was designed to support collaboration among care teams while expanding access for a growing central Ohio population.
The hospital adds nearly 400 beds to the medical center’s capacity. Regional planners project the central Ohio population could exceed 3 million people by 2050.