Leaders announced plans to expand the Butterworth Hospital campus with the largest yet of its downtown buildings.
Senior Vice President of Hospital Operations Andrea Leslie explains why and why now.
“Our community here in West Michigan, is growing, and we also are caring for a population that is aging. In order for us to be able to care for the community, not only now, but in the future, we need to expand. We currently are at about 90% occupancy.”
The facility will house 180 private beds, up to 16 operating rooms, and a new emergency department.
“Having a new emergency department will be incredible for our community. We currently see over 110,000 emergency department visits in the Butterworth ED every year, and we are currently undersized to be able to handle that kind of capacity.”
The new 620,000 square feet facility is a third larger than nearby Helen Devos Children’s Hospital.
The location under consideration is east of the current emergency room and Meijer Heart Center at 230 Michigan Street and 330 Barclay Avenue where two Corewell Health buildings currently stand.
“Yeah, the first thing would be the demolition of the two current buildings and then groundbreaking, and I would anticipate that would be later in 2027.”
Senior Vice President of Facilities and Support Services Kevin Vos says the project emphasizes modernization and new technologies.
If all goes as planned with hospital board and city approval, the project is slated to finish in 2030.
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