$60M Hauenstein Center to transform health care in Heartside

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

The $60 million Hauenstein Center at Saint Mary's Health Care is slated to be West Michigan's comprehensive care center for the diagnosis, treatment, and recovery from neurological disorders and injuries. The four-level, 140,000-square-foot facility broke ground last June.

The center will consolidate a variety of neuroscience care facilities under one roof. Plans include:

• A 39,000-square-foot emergency trauma center with 44 private rooms and four dedicated trauma suites.
• A care unit specializing in the treatment of neuroscience diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, and disorders such as epilepsy, stroke, and spine disorders. Some of the special services offered will be a complete medical treatment unit, physical therapy, counseling, and shared space for community support organizations.
• A 32-bed, 29,000-square-foot critical care unit.
• A dedicated inpatient neuroscience unit with 30 private rooms for patients needing treatment for neuroscience issues, such as, stroke, spine surgery, and brain surgery.
• The only epilepsy monitoring unit in West Michigan, where patients can be tested to determine if they are candidates for surgery that can make them seizure-free.

Construction crews are nearing completion of the site work and engineering. The steel and concrete construction will begin within the next 30 days.

"We studied evidence-based research that shows that the quality of the rooms and the aesthetics of the public spaces influences the health outcomes of patients and the stress levels and efficiency of hospital staff," said Tom Stankewicz, director of planning and research. "And we gathered input from physicians, staff, and patients and their families before moving forward with a design."

As a result, the center will have an abundance of natural light and noise-reducing flooring, and patients will have access to outdoor gardens.

Completion of the building is scheduled for early 2009. St. Mary's is pursing Silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification.

Source: Tom Stankewicz, Saint Mary's Health Care
www.smmmc.org

Rendering Courtesy of Saint Mary's Health Care

Deborah Johnson Wood is the Development News Editor for Rapid Growth. She can be reached at [email protected].

Related Articles
$60 million neuroscience center latest piece of St. Mary’s downtown campus