BAY CITY, MI – McLaren Health Care is closing a long-term acute care hospital to build what it calls an advanced ambulatory campus for outpatient care.
The health system, along with its local branch McLaren Bay Region, announced Wednesday, Oct. 23, the intention to develop an advanced multispecialty outpatient care campus on the hospital’s West Campus on Midland Road.
The investment comes at the cost of McLaren Bay Special Care, 3250 E. Midland Road, a long-term acute care hospital separate from McLaren Bay Region that will cease operations, officials said in a news release. Hospital officials did not say how many people work at McLaren Bay Special Care but noted they will make efforts to offer those employees positions within the organization.
“We recognize the evolving needs of our patients, and it is our goal to adapt to those needs and meet our patients where it will be most beneficial to them,” McLaren Bay Region Board of Trustees Chairman Gary E. Bosco said in a statement.
“We are excited about this development and making a wide array of services convenient and accessible to our community. We look forward to this project’s realization and the far-reaching and positive impact this will have for the health and wellbeing of those living in the Great Lakes Bay Region.”
The closure of the McLaren Bay Special Care facility is necessary to begin the redevelopment of the future campus, officials wrote in a news release.
“This difficult decision was made after focused discussions and careful consideration around the facility’s trend of decreasing utilization and an evaluation of resources in the area for patients requiring that level of care,” the news release states.
The resources and space devoted to McLaren Bay Special Care will be combined with an investment from McLaren Health Care and used for the construction of new buildings and renovations of existing facilities to accommodate the expanded service offerings, officials said.
The project is in the planning phase but is anticipated to include new and expanded specialty care service lines and ancillary services, such as laboratory and advanced imaging, according to the release.
Updates on the development’s timeline will be provided in the coming months, officials said.
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