Saint Mary’s Breaks Ground for Southwest Campus: a New Approach to Health Care

Saint Mary’s Health Care held a nontraditional groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, August 25, 2005 just north of 64th Street at the corner of Byron Center Avenue, the site of the new Saint Mary’s Health Care Southwest outpatient campus.

The central feature of the campus will be a 86,000-square-foot, two-story building that will include space for 20 primary care physicians, 8 – 10 specialists, an ambulatory surgery center with four OR’s, urgent care, diagnostic imaging, lab, pharmacy, rehabilitation services, community education space and a cafe. The grounds will feature fitness trails and landscaped gardens.

Approximately 1 out of every 3 Saint Mary’s patients lives within convenient driving distance from the new site. Called a “hospital without beds,” the facility will house medical care that can cover about 90% of all needed health care services for the average family.

Said Saint Mary’s President and CEO Philip H. McCorkle, Jr.: “Our patients tell us that they want much more convenient access to comprehensive, quality care with services closer to their homes and in a comfortable environment. Together with our physician partners, we have designed an innovative health care facility that will cater to the patient. Much like The Lacks Cancer Center at Saint Mary’s, which opened in December, this patient-centered facility will bring a variety of services together under one roof. We look forward to working with Byron Township officials and residents to build the kind of health care campus that will best meet the needs of this area.”

Said Advantage Health President and CEO David Blair, M.D.: “More than 90 percent of our patients’ needs do not require a hospital stay. This collaborative approach with specialists and Saint Mary’s to bring the appropriate services closer to patients’ homes will significantly improve the health care experience.”

Like The Lacks Cancer Center, the building and site will be designed to meet the requirements for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certification. The facility will open in January 2007.