Several ancillary additions were also planned such as a new materials-handling wing, an expansion of the chiller building and boiler plant. By mid-2017, Mount Carmel East had announced plans to build a new $26 million, 80-bed, behavioral-health hospital near the Mount Carmel East campus, to be opened by fall 2018. Inpatient behavioral-health beds at Mount Carmel West hospital would be moved there upon closure of West's behavioral-health facility. The location of the new behavioral-health facility is on the east side of Columbus, south of Interstate 70 and about from Mount Carmel East hospital. Mount Carmel East is part of Mount Carmel Medical Group, representing more than 250 primary care and specialty care providers. This is a network of providers for care that is not of an emergency nature. The hospital is also affiliated with Mount Carmel Health Partners – a network of up to "1,200 primary care and specialty physicians" – and with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. This expanded the network of care providers in the central Ohio area that were associated with Mount Carmel, although unlike the situation with providers in the Mount Carmel Health System, items such as medical records may not be transferred automatically. The hospital is accessible by public transport via COTA bus services operating throughout metropolitan Columbus, Ohio. Mount Carmel East is also accessible from Interstate 270 immediately off exit 39 onto Ohio State Route 16. They are also affiliated with Angel MedFlight allowing fixed wing aircraft to land at nearby John Glenn Columbus International Airport and provide patients with specialized treatment at Mount Carmel East from a wide geographic area. Parking is available for free at a new parking garage and three parking lots nearby on the hospital grounds. Surgeons at Mount Carmel East helped develop the SpineMask technique for a new type of spinal surgery. SpineMask creates a map of the patient's spine using LED lights. Once this map is created, surgeons are able to see with more precision than presently available where their surgical instruments are in relation to the patient. This allows surgeons to more accurately perform spinal fusions while using a less invasive procedure for the patient.