Henry Ford plans $318M expansion of Macomb hospital

Henry Ford Health System is planning a $318 million renovation and expansion of its hospital in Clinton Township in what the Detroit-based health system says is the largest investment ever made in Macomb County by a health system.  

Once completed, the hospital will be the first in Macomb County to provide all its licensed beds as private patient rooms. 

"This project will transform the hospital campus," Bob Riney, president of healthcare operations and the health system's chief operating, said at a Tuesday afternoon press briefing.

"I know that what we’re building here will be the future of medical facilities not just for Macomb County but for the whole state and nationally."

The project will convert the hospital to all private rooms. Currently about 60% of the Clinton Township hospital's 361 beds are in semi-private rooms, said Barbara Rossmann, president and CEO of Henry Ford Macomb Hospital. 

"Research substantiates that private rooms bring an increasingly safe and healing environment," Rossman said. "It creates such a loving, healing environment.

"In addition to the healing environment, we know it reduces infections," she added. "There is substantive research showing infection rates go down (with private rooms)."

The expansion of the hospital built in the 1970s will include a five-story, 225,000-square-foot addition featuring 160 private patient rooms that can be converted to manage critically ill patients. Existing hospital rooms will be updated to create more spacious private rooms, health system officials said.

In 2018, Henry Ford Macomb opened the county’s first hybrid operating room as part of a $37 million surgical, interventional and cardiac catheterization lab investment.

The hospital is the third largest for beds among Henry Ford’s five acute-care hospitals. The expansion represents the “culmination of a vision” of Henry Ford Macomb and community leaders, said Henry Ford Health President and CEO Wright Lassiter III in a statement.

“When I joined Henry Ford almost seven years ago, it was easy for me to see the passion and commitment of our Henry Ford Macomb hospital and community leaders. Through the years, they shared with me their broad vision for transforming health care for this community,” Lassiter said in a press release. “Their confidence has been easily anchored by deep community connections, educational partnerships, treatment innovations and a tireless will to ensure great medical care and outcomes.”

Site work began April 5 and construction on the expansion is expected to be completed in 2023.

Michigan's health systems by and large delayed any capital projects during the COVID-19 pandemic.

But coronavirus cases have declined for seven straight weeks in Michigan, and 2.53% of COVID-19 diagnostic tests in the state have been positive during the latest seven-day period ending Sunday, which might be a sign the spread of COVID-19 is slowing. 

Experts note a positivity rate of 3% is a benchmark to show spread is limited. The state spent most of the winter well above that rate, hovering closer to 10%.

kbouffard@detroitnews.com