IRONTON, Ohio (WSAZ) -- You can't look at the future of health care in Ironton without looking back.

While the announcement of a new family medical center begins a new era, the old hospital still stands. It is a constant reminder of what was -- an empty building standing in the way of what will be.

"People in this community have wanted this for a long time," said Kelli Klaibor of St. Mary's Medical Center, the facility responsible for the upcoming medical center in Ironton. "It makes it a lot easier. That way, if (patients) need the treatment, they'll go. If they don't, they can stay close to home and be comfortable."

Meanwhile, what was once a hospital with roughly 400 employees is nothing more than a decaying brick shell. That is soon to change, though. In a matter of weeks, it's all coming down. Roughly six acres of the property will become residential lots.

The old hospital was signed over to Ironton's Port Authority, the office in charge of what's next for the property. The biggest immediate obstacle is asbestos removal; crews have been hauling it out since May. The goal is to completely remove the asbestos by the end of the month. That means 58-hour work weeks, six days a week until it's finished.

Construction on new homes could start by the spring of 2010.