Mary Free Bed Plans $48 Million Expansion and Renovation

Online, February 6, 2012 (Newswire.com) - Mary Free Bed Hospital is planning a $48 million expansion that will significantly enhance the continuum of care it provides to Michigan residents by upgrading therapy areas, creating all-private patient rooms and consolidating all patient care services under a single roof.

The region's leading rehabilitation hospital plans to break ground on a new, 114,660-square-foot facility adjacent to its hospital at 235 Wealthy Street SE later this year. The new facility, which should be completed late 2013, will house 40 new, private patient rooms with larger living areas and more family-friendly amenities. One floor in the four-story facility may be dedicated to skilled nursing beds for spinal cord and traumatic brain injury patients, allowing Mary Free Bed to close a gap in the care it offers patients.

The hospital, which has grown by 10 percent since launching its new Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Network in June 2011, expects to continue adding new jobs over the next few years.

"Mary Free Bed is committed to providing the best possible rehabilitation care for our patients," said CEO Kent Riddle. "We are making a significant investment to expand and renovate our Wealthy Street campus in order to better meet the needs of patients and their families. From creating all-private patient rooms to upgrading family accommodations to adding new state-of-the-art equipment, Mary Free Bed is working to enhance the outcomes of our patients - and to help them become as independent as possible."

The new facility, which will be connected to the current hospital, will also feature:
• Larger therapy areas. New therapy rooms will provide additional leading-edge rehabilitation services.
• New, state-of-the-art equipment for new and existing therapy rooms. Mary Free Bed is one of the first rehabilitation facilities in Michigan to offer patients robot-assisted walking therapy using a Lokomat®, a driven gait orthosis that automates locomotion therapy on a treadmill and improves the efficiency of treadmill training.
• Enhanced family accommodations. Mary Free Bed will add new, larger guest quarters for families who want to stay close to loved ones being treated at the hospital. The hospital currently provides six rooms through the Mary Free Bed Inn.

At the same time, Mary Free Bed will renovate more than 136,000 square feet of its existing hospital, transforming its current semi-private rooms into all-private patient rooms. The main entryway and hospital navigation will be simplified for ease-of-use and a gift shop, coffee shop and wi-fi lounge will be added.

All outpatient care services, which are currently delivered in two separate buildings, will be consolidated and housed in the hospital. These include all clinic services, pediatrics and adult rehabilitation services. Additionally, Mary Free Bed's Orthotics and Prosthetics Services, including exam rooms, offices and lab space, will be united under a single roof.

Mary Free Bed is also exploring the opportunity to develop skilled nursing beds within its new facility. The hospital has filed a certificate of need with the State of Michigan to secure 40 beds that would be dedicated to treating patients with spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries. These beds would be used for patients leaving acute care hospitals who require further nursing care before beginning their individualized program of rehabilitation at Mary Free Bed. Additionally, patients who are ready to leave the hospital but require extra nursing care before returning home would have a convenient destination without having to leave Mary Free Bed.

"Adding skilled nursing to the mix of rehabilitation services we currently offer allows Mary Free Bed to expand our continuum of care and better meet the needs of patients and their families," Riddle explained. "It is one of the missing pieces we need to offer complete rehabilitation care. While we are still exploring options in this area, the state's release of 400 beds a year ago prompted us to apply."

Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital currently serves patients throughout the state and surrounding areas through inpatient and outpatient programs focused on brain injury, stroke recovery, orthopedic, amputee, spinal cord injury and related physiological and neurological areas. Mary Free Bed sets the gold standard in rehabilitative care with its highly individualized rehab programs; teams of trained, caring therapists, nurses and physicians; and state-of-the-art protocols and equipment.

Unveiled in June 2011, the Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Network is an innovative alliance of hospitals and providers formally integrated with an independent Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital. The network is designed to extend Mary Free Bed's expertise beyond the walls of its current hospital to other settings, creating a seamlessly integrated system of rehabilitative care for patients - wherever they live or work. The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, along with Metro Health Hospital in Wyoming, Porter Hills in Grand Rapids and Providence Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Zeeland, are among the first members of the network.
About Mary Free Bed
Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital is an 80-bed, not-for-profit, acute rehabilitation center. Its mission is to restore hope and freedom through rehabilitation to people with disabilities. As West Michigan's largest provider of rehabilitation services, Mary Free Bed offers comprehensive inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation for children and adults using an interdisciplinary approach. Also available are numerous specialty programs designed to increase the quality of life and independence of people with disabilities. For more information about Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital, please visit www.maryfreebed.com, or call 800.528.8989.