Borgess Health Park, Battle Creek
Borgess Health Park, Battle Creek
Borgess Health Park, Battle Creek
Borgess Health Park, Battle Creek
On 21 acres of rolling wooded land in a park-like setting that’s close to I-94 and M-66, Borgess has opened its latest facility: Borgess Health Park. Jane Parikh finds out what it means for the community.
The more than 1,800 Battle Creek residents making the drive into Kalamazoo each year for outpatient health services at Borgess Health’s main facility now have the option of getting that same care closer to home.
In June the Kalamazoo-based healthcare system opened Borgess Health Park which offers outpatient services such as radiology, physical therapy, CT scans and laboratory services. The $26.9 million, two-story facility is located on 21 acres of previously undeveloped land at 3035 Capital Ave., SW, in Battle Creek, just off Interstate-94's Exit 97.
Community leaders and health professionals in the Cereal City say the addition of the recently opened healthcare campus creates jobs and opportunities for growth.
“Battle Creek Unlimited has worked with Borgess on bringing the facility to the Cereal City,” says Beth Brutsche, who chairs the BCU board of directors. “This will give the residents who receive care from Borgess Health greater options.”
About 200 Borgess employees live in Calhoun County. Between 80 and 90 employees will staff the Health Park once it is fully operational.
Patrick Dyson says there are more than 20,000 visits to Borgess’ Kalamazoo facility for services that are now being provided in the Health Park. Dyson, executive vice president of strategy and corporate services for Borgess Health, says primary care physicians manage these visits each year.
He characterized the Health Park as a “comprehensive ambulatory facility that has physicians, diagnostic services, physical therapy and other components of outpatient care that can serve the complete needs of patients.
Borgess is about to celebrate 125 years of service to residents in the Southwest Michigan area. Paul Spaude, Borgess Health President and Chief Executive Officer, says patients and their needs are first and foremost.
“At the end of the day that is exactly why we exist and why we have the privilege to be here and to have this new connection, and to have an existing relationship that we really, really love about Battle Creek,” Spaude says.
Borgess’ push into the Battle Creek area follows a similar move made by Bronson Healthcare Group in December, 2010 when a merger between the Kalamazoo-based Bronson and Battle Creek Health System was announced. The merger gave Bronson Healthcare Group, owner of Bronson Methodist Hospital, 51 percent ownership of the Battle Creek hospital system.
Battle Creek Health System was created in 1988 by the merger of the Cereal City’s two acute-care hospitals, Community Hospital and Leila Y. Post Montgomery Hospital.
Construction of Borgess Health Park began in October, 2012 on the 65,000-square-foot complex which has the capability to provide specialty services including cardiology, neurosurgery, orthopedics, women's health and bariatric services. It also provides laboratory, imaging/radiology, physical therapy, sleep health, and pharmacy services.
Borgess officials say the building uses one-third less electricity than other similar buildings. Sensors constantly monitor rooms for temperature and light levels. All lighting, inside and out, is provided by LED technology.
Dr. William R. Bogan, who has practiced in Battle Creek for many years, reminded those who attended a formal ribbon cutting ceremony in June for the Health Park that Borgess is part of a health ministry that was founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph who were the first to staff the hospital. He said the values remain the same despite years of growth.
Those values include: service of the poor; reverence; integrity, wisdom, creativity and dedication.
“We will be guided by those values as we connect with each patient’s life every day,” says Bogan, with Borgess Family & Internal Medicine in Battle Creek. “I’ve lived and I’ve practiced medicine in Battle Creek for 30 years. I have to say it’s great for our community to have such a beautiful new building with state of the art equipment that’s devoted to something close to my heart: healthcare that’s patient-centered, primary-care driven and mission-based.”
As a resident of Battle Creek and parishioner at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Bogan says he knows physicians and patients are looking forward to being in a place where they have several different services together under one roof and at their fingertips. Primary care is the center of patient care, he says.
“New buildings and the latest medical equipment are vital for health care,” Bogan says.
The Health Park is part of Borgess’ response to an increasing demand for convenient, outpatient care, says Jim Devlin, who chairs Borgess HealthBoard of Trustees. He says a greater reliance on ambulatory care has been the direction of Borgess Health leadership for the past 20 years.
During his time as a board member he’s seen Borgess Health go from a campus primarily located on Gull Road to a health care system that t"akes services closer to the people we serve."
“Today we have over 100 sites of care in 10 counties,” Devlin says.
A few examples include outpatient services at the Borgess at Woodbridge Hills location, the campus of Borgess-Pipp Hospital in Plainwell, a new medical commons in Delton, expansion of services in Three Rivers and now Borgess Health Park in Battle Creek.
Jane C. Parikh is a freelance reporter and writer with more than 20 years of experience and also is the owner of In So Many Words based in Battle Creek.
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.