A joint venture between two hospitals in Lansing and Grand Rapids will provide advanced inpatient rehabilitation care and create employment opportunities in mid-Michigan.
Sparrow Hospital and
Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital will partner to create Mary Free Bed at Sparrow, a dramatic expansion of Sparrow's rehabilitation unit that will be built during the next 18 to 24 months.
"Patients in mid-Michigan have not had the kind of access to rehabilitation care that patients in Southeast Michigan or Grand Rapids have had," says Kent Riddle, CEO of Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital in Grand Rapids. "Rather than going it alone, Sparrow approached us in this exciting venture to broaden the base of rehab care available."
The two hospitals will co-invest $5 to $7 million to double the size of the existing 20,000 square foot rehabilitation unit at Sparrow's Lansing facility. The new 40,000 square foot wing will span the entire sixth floor, feature all private rooms and two therapy gymnasiums, and will accommodate up to 40 patients day—twice the unit's current capacity. Staff is also expected to double, Riddle says, upping current needs from 70 to 140 employees.
"We see a tremendous opportunity to service patients together with quality rehabilitation and through sub-specialty programs," says Riddle. "Serving patients with cancer and stroke care is high on our list, for instance."
Established in 1891, Mary Free Bed has grown into the most comprehensive provider of rehabilitation services in the state. Sparrow is the largest provider of inpatient rehabilitation care in mid-Michigan and has the region's only Level 1 Trauma Center.
Source: Kent Riddle, CEO, Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital
Writer: Ann Kammerer, Development News Editor
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