Henry Ford Health Celebrates Groundbreaking of History-Making Detroit Hospital Expansion Project

DETROIT – On the very same block where Henry Ford Hospital first opened its doors nearly 110 years ago, Henry Ford Health team members, patients, neighbors and partners celebrated the official construction launch of its major Detroit campus expansion, known as Destination: Grand. The project will be Henry Ford Health’s most significant investment in the city to date, and the single largest healthcare investment in Detroit’s history. 

“Our vision – to build the healthcare campus of the future, a place where people from down the street or across the globe alike can come to receive the very best care in the very best facilities – is one we’ve been cultivating for decades,” said Henry Ford Health President and CEO Bob Riney. “We are creating a place like no other in the state, and through this major expansion of our campus, we are cementing our commitment to our Detroit community for the next century and beyond. Detroit deserves this.”

The $2.2 billion expansion plan is anchored by a new, state-of-the-art hospital facility that will span 1.2 million square feet on the south side of West Grand Boulevard, directly across the street from the legacy campus, which will remain in operation. The facility includes a 20-story patient tower, with three floors dedicated to providing intensive inpatient physical medicine and rehabilitation in partnership with top-ranked Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. The inclusion of Shirley Ryan AbilityLab was made possible through a nearly $130 million investment by the Gilbert Family Foundation, whose co-founder, Dan Gilbert, credits the organization for his recovery after a stroke in 2019.

The entire project will be world-class from the most obvious features to the smallest details. The expanded emergency department will more than double in size to 75,000 square feet – and will be equipped with 100 private, flexible treatment spaces. The high-tech touches in the 432 all-individual patient rooms will ensure the most comfortable, convenient experience and will complement the existing hospital facility and beds. The interactive patient rooms in the new tower are being designed to utilize touchscreen televisions and voice activation for both patients and care teams, and there will be dedicated space for visitors in each room. Each of the 28 new operating rooms will be capable of handling nearly every type of complex surgical case, from transplants to brain surgery. And five floors of specialized ICU rooms, from cardiovascular to neurological, further underscore Henry Ford Health’s commitment to providing unparalleled care.

“What we’re doing isn’t just a transformation of space,” said Dr. Steven Kalkanis, Executive Vice President, CEO, Henry Ford Hospital and CEO, Henry Ford Medical Group. “It’s a transformation of place, of potential and of impact. I believe every major American city needs a premier academic medical campus, and this will put Detroit on the global map as a destination for the most complex care provided by the most talented medical minds in the business.” 

The hospital expansion is also poised to make Henry Ford Health a leading destination for patients seeking the very best physical medicine and rehabilitation care. Chicago-based Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, known for its innovative approach to rehabilitation that leverages the latest in scientific breakthroughs, tools and technology, will occupy three of the top floors in the new patient tower. 

“After my stroke, I was fortunate to receive outstanding care at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago, which was crucial to my early recovery,” said Dan Gilbert, Founder and Chairman of Rocket Companies and Co-Founder of the Gilbert Family Foundation. “I am thrilled that Detroiters will soon have access to the same level of rehabilitation care right here in our city through this partnership with Henry Ford Health. Great neurorehabilitation care is essential for so many conditions and I know this will make an immeasurable impact for our community." 

To ensure these exceptional services are accessible to all, the Gilbert Family Foundation has also created a $10 million fund to support Detroit residents with limited or no insurance coverage for rehabilitation care.

“Every year, tens of thousands of people in the Detroit area survive debilitating conditions like stroke, brain and spinal cord injury, cancer and amputation,” said Dr. Pablo Celnik, CEO of Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. “We are eager to extend our mission and model of care to help Detroiters recover from life-changing illnesses and injuries — advancing patient abilities and outcomes in the process.”

As part of the Destination: Grand plan, Henry Ford Health is also building a 185,000-square-foot shared services building, which will house the hospital’s kitchen, loading dock, sterile processing and more, a new 1,500-space parking structure, and a 46,000-square-foot Central Energy Hub, which will heat and cool the new facilities through a hot and chilled water pump system. That will eliminate the need for natural gas—which is a known contributor to pollution and health issues—and will contribute to the facility becoming one of the largest fully electric-capable hospitals in the country. All of these structures will be built within the same footprint as the new hospital facility and patient tower, on the south side of West Grand Blvd., just west of the Lodge Freeway and across the street from the existing hospital.

The hospital campus expansion is the centerpiece of The Future of Health: Detroit vision, a sweeping community-driven plan with key partners Tom Gores and the Detroit Pistons and Michigan State University to transform the New Center neighborhood into a walkable, vibrant community. It includes the creation of a state-of-the-art medical research center through the Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences partnership, as well as mixed-use residential developments with market-rate and affordable housing, retail, green space and recreational components.

The new hospital facility is expected to open its doors to patients in 2029.



Additional Quotes from Our Supporters:

• Governor Gretchen Whitmer: “Everyone deserves access to quality, affordable health care that meets their needs. This new Henry Ford Health facility in the heart of Detroit will serve hundreds more patients every day, support thousands of good-paying jobs, and drive billions of dollars in investment. It’s yet another sign that Detroit is on the rise, driven by countless public and private sector partners who are committed to making a difference. Let’s keep working together and building a bright future where everyone can thrive.”

• Senator Debbie Stabenow: “This historic investment is a testament to Henry Ford Health’s leadership, innovation and commitment to our state and the City of Detroit. It will connect community care and research in a way that hasn’t been seen before, making Henry Ford Health a destination for Detroiters, Michiganders, and Midwesterners to receive world-class health care services, from specialized trauma care to behavioral health care and more.”

• Senator Gary Peters: “The major expansion of Henry Ford Hospital is going to be a game changer for the City of Detroit and the state of Michigan. The world-class facilities they’re building will match the world-class care the health system is known for—and will allow Henry Ford Health to continue leading the way in treatment, research, and medical education.”

• Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan: “This beautiful new hospital is the most recent example of Henry Ford Health’s commitment to Detroit and the wellbeing of its residents for more than a century. When it opens, Detroiters will enjoy a whole new level of access to some of the best and most specialized health care, not just in Detroit, but in the world. We are all deeply appreciative to Bob Riney and the Henry Ford leadership team for their investment, as well as Dan and Jennifer Gilbert for their remarkable generosity."

• Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield: "One of the joys of life is seeing a brighter future over the horizon come closer and closer to view and, ultimately, into fruition. We're at such a moment of utopia in Detroit's history with the groundbreaking of the Future of Health project!  This transformative project is poised to literally be life-changing for our city and, more importantly, our residents. With bated breath, I look forward to the completion of the project and bringing the future of health in Detroit to the present day.” 

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