The property on which McLaren Health Care’s new Lansing hospital will stand is adjacent to Michigan State University.
(McLaren photo)
Crews have begun pouring concrete for the foundation of the new Greater McLaren Hospital in South Lansing, Mich., marking the single largest investment ever of parent company McLaren Health Care.
"When it is all said and done, we will invest more than $500 million on this site — for the replacement hospital, wonderful modern medical services building, cancer center, research programs and a number of other things that will be coming here," said Phil Incarnati, president and CEO of McLaren Health Care. "When you look at the type of expectations that we have for this project and what it will bring to the area, more importantly to the state of Michigan, you can't help but talk about research and graduate medical education.
"We believe we are helping train some of the finest physicians in the country. This platform is only going to make that better. We're really excited about keeping it here in the community. We expect that this complex will be a medical destination for wellness and health care services. We believe that with the resources we have and facilities we have it's a natural for us to build a base that will only grow over time."
The project will create an estimated 2,500 construction jobs, as well as adding 80 new hospital employee positions to the current workforce of 2,000.
The new building will replace two older hospitals in Lansing, which will be redeveloped for other purposes. The new property, purchased from Michigan State University, is adjacent to the university, and the project builds upon decades of collaboration between the institutions.
"McLaren has engaged some of the nation's top construction and construction worker organizations to design and build the acute-care hospital," said David Washburn, executive director of the MSU Foundation.
The construction/design team includes Barton Malow/Christman Joint Venture as the construction manager, architects Gresham Smith and Harley Ellis Devereaux (HED), interior designers Pace Howe Design, civil consultants C2AE and onsite civil engineer PEA.
Plans for the nine-story, 522,000-sq.-ft. hospital call for a sleek exterior with a glass and steel façade, as well as 240 beds with support and treatment services in one centralized area.
"A lot of the materials are hospital-grade, but hospitality-centered in terms of patient rooms," said McLaren spokesman Jon Adamy. "It goes beyond the sterile look of a typical hospital environment. This is an opportunity to redesign health care from the ground up. The process started by getting tremendous amount of input from the community and our own staff and caregivers.
"I think the idea behind the interior design is that it is welcoming, and reflects the exterior, which is modern. This hospital is being built to the state of the art — a welcoming area where you are going to get the absolute best care."
Administrators set up a design lab in the current hospital where staff can go to look at mockups and offer feedback. The nursing unit suggested that, given the fast pace of technological innovation, nursing stations be more open and mobile so that changes can be adopted more easily.
"A lot of what we're looking at comes down to partnership with the community — the importance of green space, direct drop-off spots for public transportation, connecting it to the bike path," Adamy said. "There were lots of things taken into consideration."
The hospital expects to welcome its first patients in early 2022.
CEG
Lori Tobias
Lori Tobias is a journalist of more years than she cares to count, most recently as a staff writer for The Oregonian and previously as a columnist and features writer for the Rocky Mountain News. She is the author of the memoir, Storm Beat - A Journalist Reports from the Oregon Coast, and the novel Wander, winner of the Nancy Pearl Literary Award in 2017. She has freelanced for numerous publications, including The New York Times, The Denver Post, Alaska Airlines in-flight, Natural Home, Spotlight Germany, Vegetarian Times and the Miami Herald. She is an avid reader, enjoys kayaking, traveling and exploring the Oregon Coast where she lives with her husband Chan and rescue pups, Gus and Lily.
Read more from Lori Tobias here.
Today's top stories
