Major Expansion at Henry Ford Macomb Hospital to Feature All Private Patient Rooms

DETROIT (June 8, 2021) – When a new hospital was built in Clinton Township in the 1970s, the area surrounding it was a large swath of farmland and M-59 was a two-lane road. Fast forward to today and that same hospital – now prominently known as Henry Ford Macomb Hospital – is marking a new milestone as an economic engine for Macomb County.

Henry Ford Macomb, part of the Henry Ford Health System, is undergoing the largest expansion and renovation in its history with a new five-story, 225,000-square-foot addition featuring 160 private patient rooms that can be converted to manage critically ill patients on par with an Intensive Care Unit. Inpatient units in the existing hospital will also be renovated to create spacious private rooms.

Once completed, the project will transform the hospital campus for years to come as the county’s first hospital to provide all 361 of its licensed beds as private rooms for the safety and convenience of patients.

The $318 million expansion and renovation represent the largest healthcare investment in the county’s history by a health system. 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 project was announced at an outdoor ceremony today near the site of what for now is being called the North Tower, which will be connected to the existing hospital with walkways above the current north entrance.

Senior leaders from the health system were joined by leaders from Henry Ford Macomb, Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel and other dignitaries at the ceremony, which was limited to 50 invited guests in attendance because of the pandemic. The hospital is the third largest for beds among Henry Ford’s five acute-care hospitals.

Henry Ford Health President and CEO Wright Lassiter III said the expansion represents the “culmination of a vision” of Henry Ford Macomb and community leaders.

“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 healthcare for this community,” Lassiter said. “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. Barton Malow/Dixon is the construction firm and AECOM is managing the architectural and engineering design. The project is being financed by Henry Ford capital funding and philanthropic donations. No CARES Act relief funding was allocated for the project.

Bob Riney, President of Healthcare Operations and Chief Operating Officer for the health system, said the hospital addition will personify “everything that this community needs and wants.”

“We are embarking on what I know will be the future of medical facilities not just for Macomb County, but also for the state of Michigan and nationally,” Riney said. “I was here when this hospital became a part of the Henry Ford family, and it has been my privilege to watch it continue to grow, flourish and innovate.”

With its 361 licensed beds, Henry Ford Macomb is the largest hospital in the county. The expansion is expected to contribute to the county’s 3.5% growth in healthcare jobs by 2024, according to the Macomb County Economic Development Department. In 2019, healthcare’s total purchases accounted for more than $1.6 billion, with 47% coming from industry partners and suppliers in the county.

“With truly remarkable physician partners and care teams, we have transformed the availability of life-saving care close to home, for everything from heart and neurologic conditions to cancer, traumatic injuries and more. Now, we fulfill a long-time vision of transforming our patient rooms and campus for those we serve.,” said Barbara Rossmann, President and CEO of Henry Ford Macomb.

Rossmann said feedback from patients and their families, physicians and other team members were incorporated into the design of the patient rooms and other aspects of the project.

Henry Ford Macomb is located at 15855 19 Mile Road in Clinton Township, between Garfield and Hayes and one mile south of M-59 (also known as Hall Road), now a multi-lane highway that runs east and west between I-94 in Macomb County and I-96 in Oakland County. Clinton Township is the eighth most populated community in the state of Michigan.

The hospital will remain fully operational throughout the expansion and renovation. Other key highlights of the expansion and renovation include:

• Increasing ICU rooms from 48 to 60 and equipping them with the latest in technology

• Spacious patient rooms that will be equipped with accommodations for a family member to stay overnight

• A newly redesigned hospital entrance and lobby area featuring a donor wall and soothing art

• An expanded power plant to meet the infrastructure upgrades

• Additional patient, visitor and team member parking

Rossmann said that while private patient rooms are favored by patients and their loved ones for the improved privacy, they are also associated with increased staff satisfaction and a reduced risk of infections. A 2018 study published in PLOS One found that patients assigned to private rooms had a 24% risk reduction for central line-associated bloodstream infections.

“We have envisioned the future of our campus to ensure each patient and their family has the best experience that fits their needs. As someone with decades of leadership and nursing experience, I know the importance of great care, and most notably what it looks like,” said Rossmann, who also serves as the chief nursing officer for the health system. “It is a profound commitment and love for our unique communities throughout Macomb County, our history and our people that drive us to make these kinds of investments. It truly guides everything we do at Henry Ford Macomb.”

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NEWS MEDIA ONLY contact: David Olejarz / David.Olejarz@hfhs.org / 313-303-0606

About Henry Ford Health System

Founded in 1915 by Henry Ford himself, Henry Ford Health System is a non-profit, integrated health system committed to improving people’s lives through excellence in the science and art of healthcare and healing. Henry Ford Health System includes Henry Ford Medical Group, with more than 1,900 physicians and researchers practicing in more than 50 specialties at locations throughout Southeast and Central Michigan. Acute care hospitals include Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, MI and Henry Ford Allegiance Health in Jackson, MI – both Magnet® hospitals; Henry Ford Macomb Hospital; Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital; and Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital.

The largest of these is Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, a quaternary care research and teaching hospital and Level 1 Trauma Center recognized for clinical excellence in cardiology, cardiovascular surgery, neurology, neurosurgery, and multi-organ transplants. The health system also provides comprehensive, best-in-class care for cancer at the Brigitte Harris Cancer Pavilion, and orthopedics and sports medicine at the William Clay Ford Center for Athletic Medicine – both in Detroit.

As one of the nation’s leading academic medical centers, Henry Ford Health System annually trains more than 3,000 medical students, residents, and fellows in more than 50 accredited programs, and has trained nearly 40% of the state’s physicians. Our dedication to education and research is supported by nearly $100 million in annual grants from the National Institutes of Health and other public and private foundations.

Our not-for-profit health plan, Health Alliance Plan (HAP) provides health coverage for more than 540,000 people.

Henry Ford Health System employs more than 33,000 people, including more than 1,600 physicians, more than 6,600 nurses and 5,000 allied health professionals.